Aqua X Kazuma: Saisei
by Exciel
Summary: Aqua is about to give Kazuma a Goddess Blessing on this wonderful world.
1. Rebirth

"Psst Hey Kazuma! Kazuummaaa!"

This feminine whine sounded too awfully familiar. Much to Kazuma's displeasure,  
It was probably the nightmares of Aqua acting up again...

...

"Huh its probably nothing ... Go away Aqua."

...

"Kazumaaaa!" The voice grew louder with every passing echo.

...

"Give me five more minutes, and go bother someone else for once in your life."

...

"I AM TELLING YOU TO WAKE UP!"

Kazuma shot up from his bed, his eyes darting across the room only to find a distraught Aqua kneeling at his bedside. Despite the darkness and Kazuma's sleep deprived state, the moonlight that permeated through the window allowed him to see the bright crimson that emanated from her cheeks and her bulging cerulean eyes, sore from all the crying.

"What is it you good for nothing goddess?We have an important kill quest tomorrow and I need my rest..."

...

"I have something important to tell you and you probably won't like it..."

Aqua spoke shakily before drooping her head down to continue her weeping. This surprised Kazuma to a great extent. Unlike those highly volatile and disruptive tantrums Kazuma was awfully familiar to, her current cries were much softer and genuine. Truth to be told, Kazuma actually felt sorry for the goddess of water kneeling before him.

...

"Tell me what is bothering you, I will try my best to help."

As if on cue, Aqua finally mustered the strenght to hold back her sobs, this time however struggling to find the right words.

"Kazuma...I am pregnant with your child..."

...

...

"Eh...?"

Kazuma gave her a stupefied look before dismissing it as some sort of practical joke.

After all, it was probably one of her little childish charades again.

 _She probably has some sort of hidden agenda in mind._

"What? You can't be serious right now, go get some rest. After all you are probably drunk or something"

...

Unfortunately for him, Aqua could not tolerate her frustrations any longer. Prompting her to pull out a pregnancy kit she hid inside her pajamas and shoved it directly on Kazuma's face.

...

"Now where on earth did you get that?"

Kazuma himself was suspended in disbelief as he picked up the forgone article, intently studying the digital screen. From the corner of his eyes, Kazuma found Aqua shifting her head away, stringing her fingers to dispel her anxiety

"Well, I did procure some gadgets from the previous victims during my time in the afterlife..."

...

 _Thief._

 _Anyways._

 _The two red lines are separated from each other, this clearly indicates a positive result._

 _..._

"Eh..."

It took Kazuma some time to process all this information.

"WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!"

Kazuma released a horror-stricken outburst, causing Aqua to jolt to her feet.

Meanwhile, both curiosity and stress surged violently within his mind, creating pressure so intense that it was drove him close to the brink of insanity. Needless to say, Kazuma was mortified beyond words.

...

...

He had too many questions, but he did not care and he demanded answers.

"How did this happen?"

Kazuma mouthed his words slowly, all the while still trying to digest the shocking turn of events that had transpired.

 _Aqua and I as parents? That's impossible, Shes like a sister to me..._

...

"It was during the night after one of the parties... We had an overdose of alcohol and then we lost control over ourselves and then we had unprotected sex and then and then..."

Whatever else she said was muffled by the choking of tears.

Kazuma casually shrugged, not fully grasping the significance of the situation at hand.

"Well, We could get an Abortio..."

Aqua jerked her head upwards, causing Kazuma to be caught in her grudgeful, broken eyes.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Aqua squealed in terror as the tears resumed rolling down her cheeks. She then proceeded to tightly grip unto the collars of Kazuma's tracksuit, shaking him repeatedly with such fervor that it was wringing the life out of him.

"AQUA PLEASE STOOP..."

She gradually released her hold, slumping her arms to her side before burying her face into Kazuma's body.

 _Aqua was broken right now and only desired comfort._

"DO YOU THINK ITS A JOKE! Its a human life, please not that... Promise me that you would find another way to get past this."

Her words hit Kazuma hard, allowing him to finally realize the gravity of the situation at hand. He was shaken to the core, being overwhelmed by a newfound sense of responsibility. Feeling regretful of the way he treated Aqua initially, Kazuma apologetically brought his hands around Aqua and locked her in a warm and comforting embrace.

"I am sorry, I will do whatever I can for the child, please do not worry or cry anymore."

The night's events flew by as if they were a blur, with Kazuma opening his eyelids once more against the glare of the morning sun rays that pierced through the window panes. He shifted his head to the side, only to be found inches away from Aqua's elegant face. With memories of the previous night instantly flooding back into his memory, racking his head with a great deal of pain.

Strangely enough, rather than bringing up his hands to palm his forehead or massage his temples like any normal person would. Instead, Kazuma just left himself as he was. With his eyes finding their way onto Aqua, merticulously studying the goddess's delicate facial features, her soft morning breathing against his and her rich, silky cyan hair that streamed elegantly down her sides.

Something about yesterday night felt different, asides from the obvious fact that she was pregnant.

 _Kazuma remembered how devastated Aqua was. To even think that she would humbly seek him out for comfort and reassurance, which lead to them ultimately sharing the same bed together that night. Everything felt absurd._

 _Still, it does bring me back to the times we were at the barn._

...

It was a moment of epiphany for Kazuma.

For the first time ever, Kazuma had experienced her sincerity; The priceless value she upheld for human life. Why couldn't she exemplify these positive qualities more often, as opposed the constant whining and bitching that he was so accustomed to.

 _I have never seen her in such disarray, it does not even come close to the time I dragged her into this world along with me._

After all, these newly discovered traits were really fitting for a beautiful goddess like her.

 _Wait... What am I saying?_

...

Aqua eyelids fluttered open, revealing her deep blue cerulean orbs which met his immense pine green ones.

...

"AAAHHHHH KAZUUUMMAAA DONT SCARE ME LIKE THATTT!"

Aqua launched his hands forward at Kazuma's face, forcefully sending him flying off the mattress and crashing onto the dense, mahogany floor. The resulting noise was relatively deafening, able to rupture the serenity of the mansion.

Furthermore, acting as a cue, the door was carelessly flung open, slamming onto the wall leaving behind an earth-shattering ring. Following suit was a distressed Megumin and Darkness storming in, fanning out across the room, scanning for any signs of threat with their weapons at the ready. Totally unprepared for the sight of Aqua and Kazuma, lying on the same bed in a suggestive fashion.

Part of them wanted to shriek out in horror, but their rational half made them behaved otherwise; Resuming straight poker-faces and dismissing any misleading thoughts.

...

"Oh, it was just you two... Shouldn't both of you be ready for the kill quest..."

Megumin casually remarked as she tried to shove that scene out of her mind, with all the excitement she possessed initially vaporizing in a heartbeat.

On the other hand, Darkness glanced at Aqua and Kazuma repeatedly. Her face suddenly turning red hot and blushing like crazy.

"Ooh what sort of insidious acts have you two committed without me."

Kazuma narrowed his eyes, casting onto her with the bitter look of judgement. However adding to Kazuma's dismay, Darkness responded in kind by clasping her hands together and moaning in pleasure.

"Ooohhhhggh, that agitated look is driving me insane. Let me be the subject of your impending judgement Kazuma, it must have been so so SOOOO frustrating for us to barge in during love making session with Aqua san..."

Kazuma was flabbergasted and was about to give darkness a piece of her mind. But was cut short by Megumin's hysterical cries of laughter.

 _What terrible timing!_

 _The shadow temple was now a long abandoned place of demonic worship. Its shoddy structure consisted of pitch black stone walls and blood red veins of cement that held the stone bricks in place. On top of that, an intense fog and a musty smell of corpses only serve to intensify the series of ominous vibes that surrounded the area around it._

"ALRIGHT, we are here at this temple to slay a hundred skeleton warriors. For every skull we present to the guild house, we will get 100,000 Eris!"

"Thats a lot of money for a measly skeleton, I bet I can blow them all away with my EXPLOSIONS!"

Megumin did a twirl dance with her staff while Chomusuke to meowed delightfully, reciprocating her master's mood.

...

Unfortunately for them, it was evident from Megumin that her mood shook a complete one-eighty upon their arrival at the landing site.

...

Megumin was strikened with pure horror, with her hands and feet shaking violently.

"Now I know why each skeleton is worth 100,000 Eris..."

...

The three females looked at Kazuma with fear scribbled all over their faces. Eyes wide open and teeth chattering so audible that could have heard from a mile away.

First things first, Kazuma had decided to unveil his master plan to his party in an attempt to calm their raging nerves.

"We ARE not going in there, but rather we are going to use you to bring them out!"

He pointed his index finger at Aqua, his lips turning into a dark sadistic sneer.

 _Heh heh heh..._

"Undead Skeletons are attracted to holy auras that you priests possess after all..."

...

"NOOOOO KAZUUUMAAAA I OBJECT TO BE USED AS MERE BAIT!"

Aqua once again started her full blown panic attack, launching herself at Kazuma's shoulders and rocking him back and forth with godly vigor.

...

"WAIT I AM NOT DONE YET YOU USELESS GODDESS."

...

Aqua was visibly disturbed by Kazuma's degenerative insults, with tears once again streaming endlessly down her face, marring the goddess's natural beauty

 _Oh bother here we go again..._

"KAZZUUUMAAAH THE FEAR IS MAKING ME SO STRESSED OUT! AND STRESS IS NOT HEALTHY FOR THE BAB... MMMMMM"

Kazuma instinctively cupped Aqua's mouth preventing any more of her words from escaping her lips and adverting disaster.

 _The last thing I want to do is to attempt damage control, thank you very much!_

Much to the confusion of Megumin and Darkness, Kazuma exhaled a sigh of relief.

...

"As I was saying... once the skeletons make their appearance, Darkness will be up front and center to draw away their attention... Then Megumin, you will blow everything up around Darkness with your explosive magic."

The blushes across Darkness's face deepened in shade at the mere prospect of being ravaged by vengeful, bloodthirsty skeleton warriors while being incinerated alive by giant pillar of destructive fire.

 _This girl is hopeless..._

...

"Aye aye!"

Megumin responded eagerly with a playful salute, not long after shifting up unto her position along the various elevated height granting her additional field of vision, as well as tactical advantages in her preemptive attacks.

...

Meanwhile, Aqua was perplexed at her role in this kill quest.

"Wait Kazuma, I am an Arch Priest! I am supposed to be super effective against the undead! Why am I merely being used as bait?"

Kazuma only responded in kind with a sigh, pulling her closely to him and parking his lips mere inches away from her ear.

The warm breath against her earlobe sent tingling sensations traversing across her entire being.

"That is because you should save your strength for the baby, after all isn't it the most important thing to you right now."

...

"Oh, so right you are Kazuma! You know, with your amazing intellect and my natural godliness, our child will be the greatest blessing to this wonderful world!"

...

"OH MY GOD CAN YOU EVER BE DISCREET FOR A MOMENT... THEY COULD HAVE HEARD US!"

...

Nevertheless, the action began faster than expected.

A Shout could be heard across the field where Darkness was situated. She was waving her sword in the air, smiling widely and salivating like an idiot.

Behind her was what looked like a giant rumbling dust cloud which was gradually increasing in size.

"KAZUMA LOOK! HERE THEY COME!"

A mob of skeletal warriors could be seen emerging from within the cloud itself. Most were clad in dark, ancient armor and armed with heavy weaponry. What used to be their eyes were replaced with glowing green orbs, while the skeletal constructs held together by sticky, threaded violet vessels.

...

Meanwhile, the collective stench of the undead was so intense that it sent Aqua spiraling into a series of convulsions, squatting down before Kazuma in a poor attempt to ease her discomfort.

"AAAHHHHAHHAHAHAHHA KAZUMMA SAVE ME!"

Kazuma irritably grumbled before her, resuming his focus on the undead horde ahead. All the while anticipating the moment for Darkness to intervene.

...

The timing was perfect regardless.

"Darkness now!"

The burly crusader excitedly leaped between Aqua and the approaching undead skeleton army. Reaching into her pockets and pulling out a bottle of mystic holy water, uncapping it and dousing herself with the said liquid. The rich aroma emanating from the water rendered the undead army momentarily frozen. Forcing them to re - adjust their senses as they desperately tried to identify the source of this divine aura.

It only took them a second to zero in on Darkness's position, stampeding towards her with even greater zeal as opposed to Aqua.

 _Everything was going according to the plan so far._

On the other end of the field, Megumin began her magical incantations, conjuring giant red rings which aligned themselves above the target zone.

However, being too close for comfort, Kazuma encircled his hand around Aqua's, bringing her up forcefully and tugging her along.

"Quick lets get out of here, its not safe!"

...

A magnificent pillar of fire burst through the skyline, piercing the cloud lining and smashing the earth with violent force, creating tremors so powerful that it tore apart the landscape. Waves of searing heat and bright red ash spewed relentlessly in all directions, along with any traces of nearby greenery erupting into a deadly wildfire. Ultimately only leaving behind a smoldering crater and the skeletal remains of the undead army.

Darkness slumped onto the parched ground, her face beet red from all that excitement. Thankfully, she did not have any serious injuries aside from minor burn marks. Despite how horrid the condition of her armor appeared to be: Large boils and cracks running down her breast plate, with her winged shoulder plate liquefied by the extreme heat. The fact that she could maintain such maniacal smile, proved that Darkness was generally unharmed.

...

Nevertheless, Darkness and Megumin were effectively out of commission, Leaving Kazuma and Aqua the only ones standing.

 _Extricating them was of utmost priority._

Upon Kazuma's judgement and request, both of them ultimately had to shift their respective limp bodies into the caravan, leaning them in a comfortable position before heading off to gather the skulls.

"Lets make a deal..."

Aqua declared as she dusted the ashes off a skull and dropped it into the potato sack.

Despite how aqua was grinning innocently, It was blatantly obvious given the tone of her voice, that was being her deceitful self once again.

"Huh?"

Kazuma had already prepared to reject the proposition. After all, nothing constructive ever comes out from Aqua anyways.

...

"If I can get more skulls than you, I get to keep your share of the money for the newborn!"

...

A vexed Kazuma made slowly made his way in front of Aqua, aggressively pinching her soft cheeks to teach give her a piece of his mind.

"HHHUUUUUHHHH HEY HEY HEY YOU ARE JUST USING THE NEWBORN AS AN EXCUSE TO EXTORT MORE MONEY OUT OF ME AREN'T YOU! THE BABY IS NOT EVEN BORN YET AND YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT CHILD SUPPORT NOW?!"

"UUUEEEGGGG IDD HURDSS, SDOP ID BLEASEE."

 _Pathetic goddess..._

Kazuma released her cheeks from his grip and resumed picking the charred skulls laying scattered all over the crater.

...

"Say, Kazuma..."

Given Aqua's usual energetic personality, her voice was oddly low.

"What is it now?"

Kazuma flung the remaining skull in the potato sack before securing the opening with a knot.

"What does it mean to be a mother?"

...

"I guess its a job that encompasses a great deal of responsibility and sacrifice: To love and cherish your offspring and bring the best of them."

Aqua's eyes narrowed from what seemed like disappointment.

"I can't remember my mother, if I even had one in the first place."

That's right, despite how useless many people perceive her to be. The fact of her being a goddess still remains.

A new thought floated about Kazuma's mind.

 _Do gods have parents?_

 _..._

"Why bring this up all of a sudden?"

...

"I mean our child is a human life much like me and you, that means that his life is in our hands."

"If we view our lives with great importance, that means that our child's life is equally if not more important than our own."

...

Tired of said conversation, Kazuma exhaustedly lifted the sack over his shoulder and started making his way to the caravan.

"Yeah like you could even take care of yourself, and you expect yourself to even handle a child."

...  
...

Kazuma could identify the subtle whine behind him, with that, he tilted his head over only to be greeted by a ticked off Aqua.

Her cheeks were puffed up immensely, at the same time wdesperately trying to hold back her tears.

 _It seems that I had crossed a line... Here we go again..._

"Oh Yeah!" She shrieked between snivels while rubbing her eyes forcefully.

...

She cried out a string of words at Kazuma which froze him in his tracks, dropping his potato sack in the process.

"I will show you that I am perfectly capable of caring for my child. On top of that, I will make sure that it will turn out so much more likable than you Kazuma!"

 _..._

Kazuma straightened himself, casting his direct gaze onto Aqua's cerulean blue orbs.

For the first time, he had noticed Aqua genuinely caring about someone other than herself.

The child she was eventually going to bear did not promise any sort of immediate benefits, yet she had placed the value of human life above what seemed like everything else.

For the first time, Kazuma saw her in a different light from that whiny, bitchy and self-entitled goddess.

 _She may be useless for now, but not hopeless after all._

...

Kazuma feeling apologetic for his actions earlier, slowly closed the distance between them.

"Hey..Hey ... What are you trying to do Kazuma?! You have already tainted me once and now you want to do it again? Nonononono!"

A hysterical Aqua wrapped her body tightly with her arms in attempt to ward off any sort of perverted maneuver Kazuma has in store for her.

...

"Kazuma... What do you think you are doing?"

Aqua asked again, this time even more softly. Slightly frightened at the manner in which Kazuma's forest green eyes were intently studying Aqua's fear-ridden ones.

As she turned her eyes to avoid his gaze, light pink sprinkles helplessly started to form across her cheeks.

Aqua heart was beating out of control.

 _Please do not defile me any further you...you..._

...

...

 _Heh._

Kazuma palm found its way onto Aqua's belly. The lips on his face curling into a mischievous grin.

"I just wanted to feel the baby. What else did you expect you dirty goddess?..."

...

"KAAAZUUUUMAAAA! DO NOT EVER FRIGHTEN ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!"


	2. Rekindle

"One hundred and forty eight...One hundred and forty nine...One hundred fifty! My, Kazuma you sure are in for a treat today. "

Luna waltzed into the backroom, reappearing with a large sack over her shoulders.

"My... This sure is heavy."

A loud thud echoed across the hall shortly after she planted it onto the counter. As the contents were not settled in properly, the sack slanted sideways allowing Kazuma to peek a glimpse of the countless bundles of Eris notes stored within it.

Luna clapped her hands with joy.

"Here is your reward of fifteen million Eris for eliminating one hundred and fifty skeleton warriors! Congratulations!"

 _YES I HAVE STRUCK LOTTERY, TODAY IS A GREAT DAY!_

 _..._

Kazuma lugged the sack of cash back to their mansion, pushing the heavy doors aside to reveal his three guild mates seated on the couch. Their backs were arched forward, their eyes were locked on to Kazuma like a pack of ferocious predators.

"Pppp...pay...payayayayouts."

Kazuma could barely recognize their words from all the slobbering.

He parked himself abruptly in front of them, his eyes narrowing darkly, lips curling into a distorted, sadistic grin. Purposely moving his hands ever so slowly onto the sack.

The three if them were sweating profusely, eyes widening in anticipation.

 _Waiting for payouts sure looks excruciating._

 _But...Heh._

 _It was probably the biggest tease they will ever experience in their life anyways._

 _..._

"JUST HURRY UP ALREADY YOU TRASHZUMA."

Aqua yelled in annoyance, in the meantime forcefully kicking the sack, flipping it sideways and causing an endless bundle of notes to spill onto the floor.

 _THIS AQUA RUINING ALL MY FUN!_

Kazuma squinted his eyes at Aqua with overly malicious intent, sending chills down her spine.

 _I will deal with you later..._

 _..._

"Alright! Here is how we are going to split it: The house itself gets one million Eris, Megumin, Darkness and I will get three million each..."

Kazuma braced himself for the chaos that was sure to follow.

"...And Aqua gets to keep five million."

...

Everything went just as expected, Aqua's eyes lit up with joy, while the other two guild members did not reciprocate the same gesture. Both of them made their way to Kazuma's sides, forcefully pulling a side of his ear in unison.

"OUUUCHHH."

"What is with this unfair treatment? Darkness and I risked our lives for this job and got way less that the person that didn't do anything..."

Aqua's vein popped at that comment, suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to fight. However upon realizing how truthful Megumin was, she eventually decided to back down and bury her face into her knees to mask her annoyance.

Petty matters aside, Kazuma had to think of an appropriate excuse without exposing Aqua's pregnancy. All the while having his head stretched apart by Megumin and Darkness.

 _Come on Kazuma, think ... THINK!_

...

Talk about convenient lies rolling off the tongue.

"THE SCENT OF THE UNDEAD PRESENCE TAINTS THE PURITY OF THE ARCH PRIEST. WHICH MAY RESULT IN ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS. THE MONEY IS FOR HER MEDICINE."

...

Megumin raised one of her eyebrows, seemingly catching on to Kazuma's weak lie.

"But Two million extra? Come now Kazuma you should know that is a little too much..."

 _Shit, I am at a dead end here, what choice do I have now?_

 _Should I just tell them the truth?_

 _Shit._

 _Shit._

...

"... But Holy cleansing medicine is pretty expensive around these parts, so I guess that I can live with that."

Darkness and Megumin retracted their hands from Kazuma's bright red ears, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

...

" I am going to get some upgrades for my staff, which will allow me to cast even bigger explosions! How about you Aqua and Darkness?"

"I have not thought about it yet..."

Aqua's response caught Megumin off guard. Usually Aqua would be the one rushing off headfirst to spend her money.

"Well, my armor is pretty much gone from that explosion..."

Darkness glanced at Megumin, who had dipped her head in guilt.

"...Not to worry Megumin! Getting a better set is not a problem!"

As soon as the two left the house, Kazuma twisted his head around, resuming his dark gaze onto Aqua.

 _Don't even start to think of spending that extra money..._

 _...After all, its for the child, not for you..._

The provoking look drove Aqua to pout her lips in annoyance before kicking up her usual tantrums once again. This time however, she launched herself at Kazuma from the sofa, relentlessly hammering her fists on his chest.

Something felt wrong, he did not expect such an aggressive overreaction from Aqua.

...

"BAKA KAZUUUMAH STOP MAKING ME LOOK LIKE SOME SORT OF SCUM."

Her tantrums becoming unreasonably violent, to the point at which Kazuma could not tolerate it any longer. He locked his hands firmly on Aqua's wrist before slowly bringing them down to her waist level.

"Geez whats the problem with you today!?"

Kazuma heaved a sigh of relief before regaining his natural expression. Meanwhile, Aqua's eyes were puffing up with tears, all the while biting her lips to mask her sorrow.

 _Or she was trying to mask her sorrow... but failing rather miserably at it._

She made a last ditch attempt by burying her face into Kazuma's chest, catching him completely by surprise.

"BWAAHHHHHH KAZUMAHHH YOU MEANIE!"

...

 _Talk about a mood swing..._

 _Thats right... If I could remember correctly from biology lessons._

 _Mood swings are pretty common for pregnant females._

 _Especially for this goddess._

 _..._

Kazuma remained silent, all the while only looking at her with sadness in his eyes.

After all, he was the one that inflicted this ordeal onto her.

 _For such a useless bitch, at least her hair smells pleasant._

Kazuma snapped out of his thoughts as he felt the presence of moisture building up on his shirt.

"AAAAGHHH AQUA STOP BITING MY SHIRT YOU NINCOMPOOP!"

...

Aqua gazed upwards into the Kazuma's sorrowful forest green orbs.

"KAAHHHZUUMA STOP PRETENDING TO LOOK LIKE THE VICTIM HERE! ITS ALL YOUR FAULT THAT YOU COULD NOT CONTROL YOUR D**K THAT NIGHT!"

 _God dammit and here I am busting my brains out to make things better for you, at least cut me some slack..._

 _Slack..._

An idea flashed in Kazuma's head.

 _Maybe I can advert her crisis with this._

 _..._

"Aqua, why not we go out and enjoy ourselves a little bit. Like walk around, do some shopping..."

Aqua raise her head in what looked like amazement. Usually Kazuma would just sling even more insults at her constant whining. This time however, an unprecedented wide grin that form on his face suggested otherwise.

Aqua gingerly wiped her tearful eye with her index finger, finding herself softly smiling at Kazuma as well, being elated at this newfound development.

 _Aqua's sure looks cute when she cries AND when she smiles like that._

Kazuma let a feeling of warmth surge through his inner being. Although it felt entirely alien to him, it didn't felt so bad...

Despite the numerous times they had been around the town of Axel, they were fortunate enough to encounter a festival currently taking place, celebrating the coming of Autumn.

As large masses of people streamed across the streets relentlessly, their deafening chatters filled the air with exuberance and abundant energy. Many of them surveying the countless assortments of booths. Meanwhile, their respective store owners were busily selling a wide assortment of antique wares you wouldn't usually find anywhere else. The deafening commotion was further offset by upbeat and catchy music was played in the background to enhance the festive ambiance that enveloped the streets.

Aqua being entranced by the limitless collection of antiques left on sale, advanced rapidly through the booths. It was not before long that Kazuma lost her in the crowd, ultimately leaving Kazuma by himself.

"Dam that Goddess, always running off by herself to who knows where."

...

Out of the corner of his eye, a glistening sparkle caught his attention. Kazuma swiftly shifting his gaze onto the source.

It was a golden ring with a small diamond embedded within it.

Despite how simple the ring looked at first glance, its construction was truly noteworthy. The metal was carved flawlessly with even contours throughout, giving it a luster that was unlike any other ring he had seen around the shops of Axel. The diamond itself had been cut with inhuman precision; a glistening cube lodged comfortably within the socket.

"Hey sir, you look really fond of this little treasure we have here. Its all yours for 500,000 Eris."

...

500,000 Eris was a steep price to pay.

...

However, Kazuma was far too fixated onto the ring to reply the shopkeeper. His mind remained a blank, instead allowing his instincts to freely influence his decisions.

Something within Kazuma prevented him from parting with this ring.

It was as though he was drawn to this ring by fate itself.

Kazuma making up his mind, signaled for the shopkeeper's attention.

"I will take it, but could you perhaps do something for me?"

 _..._

...

"Kaaazuuumaaa... Where were you?"

Aqua weaved through the crowd, her voice imitating that of a siren's call. It did take some time, but she eventually found Kazuma seated at the edge of a fountain munching on a candied apple.

Her eyes locked on the candied apple, occasionally bringing up her arm to wipe away any traces of drool.

"WHATS THAT?"

Aqua advanced towards Kazuma, with puppy eyes that were screaming out for small bite.

...

 _This girl will just bite the whole damn thing off._

Unfortunately for her, Kazuma instinctively let off an animalistic snarl, discouraging her approach. Catching her off guard and scaring the life out of her.

 _That gives me a little idea..._

 _..._

"Anyways Kazuma! The festival itself features quite a roster of live performances at the market center!"

...

Kazuma released a subtle smirk before grinning at Aqua menacingly.

"Lets just relax for a while, can't you see that I am enjoying this scrumptious delicacy."

He proceeded to take another bite of his candied apple, this time chewing ever so slowly, producing distinct crunching noises that sent Aqua squirming with frenzy. Encouraged by this scene, Kazuma went on to add salt to the wound; finishing off with a satisfied burp. Jumping up, he balled up his free hand into a fist in exclamation to deliver his killing blow.

"OOOOOHHHH... This caramel combined with the juices that burst from the apple's flesh just melts in your mouth, creating a sugary nectar that leaves a behind a soothing warmth as it edges along my throat!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO..."

The profound description by Kazuma was too overbearing for Aqua to comprehend. Forcing her to bring both hands to her temples and kneel in defeat.

 _HEHEH I WIN! FOR I HAVE SUBJUGATED THE GODDESS ONCE MORE!_

...

Nevertheless, Kazuma quickly wrapped up his sadistic joke. There was ample time to fool around later, but the performances were something Kazuma was expressing great curiosity over.

They had arrived on time.

The stage itself was pitch dark. The only things visible were four tiny amber flames dancing around in strange but coordinated movements. As they hovered above the corners, a beam of soft light illuminated the platform, unveiling four lean, tanned men wearing loin cloths with tribal tattoos running down their body. Each of them carried a bottle of clear fluid and a wooden torch.

The audience responded in kind with a deafening applause.

After taking a swig from their bottles, they aligned their burning torches with their mouths and released the liquid from their under pressure. The liquid ignited instantly, creating a magnificent stream of bright orange that shot up into the night sky.

The fire breathers continuously pranced around the stage in accordance to the rhythmic drumbeats in background, conjuring numerous unique art forms by adjusting the trajectory and pressure of the liquid.

 _Amazing..._

Aqua jolted up from the sudden burst of light and proceeded to tightly hug Kazuma's arm. With her soft hand delicately holding on to his.

 _Heh_

 _Feels about right._

 _..._

Time passed like a blur, and it was not before long that the last of the explosive performances finally coming to a close; A spectacular way to signify the end of the the Autumn Market Festival.

The streets of Axel was quiet was again as people from the crowd began to peel off, but as for Kazuma and Aqua, it was still much too early to return home.

They returned to the fountain, finding a seat on the rims on the fountain to rest their fatigued legs.

The area was lit by a lone street lamp.

...

Aqua was the first to break the silence, bowing her head apologetically at Kazuma while shifting her hands together, nervously toying with her fingers.

"Despite how terribly I was behaving, I did not expect myself to even go that far. It is really unbecoming of a goddess. Sorry Kazuma."

Her voice had a tangy, sweet tinge to them. Generating a pleasant warmth that traversed across his inner being.

"You know, you should express your feelings like that more often, maybe I wont insult you as much."

 _This lingering warmth felt nice, if only it would last forever._

"Anyways, Its not entirely your fault, you were having moods wings that I am largely responsible for."

The sudden revelation caused Aqua's to jerk her head towards Kazuma. His revelation coming to Aqua as a bombshell.

 _Kazuma had decided to pin the blame on himself as opposed to her for the first time._

With such an unpredictable turn of events. Aqua could not resist smiling to herself, causing bright pink streaks to gradually make their way across her cheeks.

...

"Well its alright! The Goddess of water forgives you! All you just need to do is to feed me whenever I say AHHHH for the rest of the day and all is forgiven!"

Kazuma simply sighed at her ridiculous request, before tossing a brown paper bag at her.

Catching it in midflight, Aqua excitedly proceeded to unwrap the article.

It was a skewered candied apple.

She turned her gaze back at Kazuma, her cerulean eyes cloudy from the tears, genuinely grateful for the treat.

 _She is cute when she cries like that, especially when shes not being a bitch._

Kazuma snickered in response to her reaction.

"Maybe I can start with this ... Goddess."

...

Meanwhile not far from where Kazuma and Aqua were situated, Megumin and Darkness had expertly hid themselves along a deserted alleyway.

"I KNEEEWWWW SOMETHING WAS UPP! Look at how close they are to each other!"

Megumin pouted in annoyance.

Darkness was curled up in a ball against, her arms wrapped around her body which was shuddering violently.

"I bet, Aqua is using her body to entice Kazuma perverted nature. Just thinking about how shes going to be treated... Ueeeggh."

Darkness flung her head back in ecstasy, causing Megumin to groan in response.

"We will confront Kazuma about this later..."

Unfortunately for Megumin and Darkness, they had returned to the mansion much later than expected. With Aqua and Kazuma having arrived an hour prior and turned themselves in.

 _Relying on Darkness for navigation was a mistake to begin with._

"Next time, I am doing the navigation..."I guess I would just have to confront them tomorrow..."

...

"Megumin, its your turn to do the laundry isn't it?"

Megumin sulked upon hearing Darkness's question. After all, stalking the same people over the course of a day took a great toll on her. Unlike Darkness, she was nearing the point of physical exhaustion. It was purely evident from the fact that she was struggling to maintain her balance.

"Right, I was so caught up in this Kazuma Aqua business that I had forgotten about it."

The prospect of resting while Megumin was working her ass off didn't sit well with Darkness. With that, She decided to offer her hand to Megumin.

"How about we do the laundry together!"

Megumin eyes widened, beaming with gratitude as she accepted her offer.

...

Darkness effortlessly lugged the heavy laundry basket into the washing bay, pouring out the contents into the basin as it was filling up with water. Megumin got busy with the cleaning agents: Rolling up her sleeves, measuring out an adequate amount of washing liquid and stirring the mixture with her hands. After the soap had settled within the laundry, they separated them into two piles. Megumin willingly took the larger pile much to the dismay of Darkness.

 _Sigh I hate laundry duty..._

 _..._

Darkness completed her pile first, but had decided to remain silent as Megumin tirelessly scrubbed the laundry against the washboards. Observing her friend's well-being closely just in case she collapses from overexertion.

Minutes felt like hours as Megumin was finally able to complete her task, all that was left was Kazuma's pants.

"Thats strange, what is with this bulge?"

A sleepy-eyed Megumin shot awake immediately, her eyes zoning across Kazuma pants searching for the aforementioned article.

Her hands dived into the pockets, retrieving a small navy blue box, which caused Darkness to yelped in surprise, for she foresaw what that box held.

Megumin pried the box open, revealing a golden diamond ring.

"Its an engagement ring ..."

"PRESUMABLY FOR AQUA."

Megumin's herself was equally flabbagasted, her hands shooting up instantly, covering her mouth to block off an impending scream. She pocketed the box and resumed her work, taking deep breaths to regain her composure.

...

A multitude of thoughts began spinning inside Megumin's mind, however she was unable to arrive at a logical conclusion.

Nothing made any sense whatsoever.

Nothing so far could really explain the paradigm shift in Kazuma's behavior.

After all, Aqua and Kazuma's relationship had always been platonic up until recently.

Unless they were hiding it all this while.

No its not possible, Aqua had always been the most honest of the group. Even if she did try to lie, she was terrible at it. On top of all that, assuming they did start their relationship recently, wasn't engagement a little too rushed?

...

A wave from Darkness broke her train of thoughts.

"Hey Megumin, I have finally hung up the remainder of the clothes! Do rest well for tonight!"

Megumin nodded silently in agreement, grinning weakly at Darkness as a sign of appreciation.

 _It was too late for this anyways, I will confront Kazuma first thing tomorrow morning_. _After all, I am sure he would tell me the truth if he wants this back._

 _..._


	3. INTERMISSION

Hi Guys, I would like to drop by an important notice to all the readers out there. Thank you for your dedication and reviews so far!

I would like to invite you all to follow my Wattpad instead because its an easier platform to edit and read fanfictions.

Link: story/127880800-kazuma-x-aqua-saisei

Thank you all once more and have a pleasant day ahead.

PS: any type of book with apocalyptic, futuristic and ideological centric stories to recommend please drop me a message thanks!


	4. Reforge

"Good morning! Welcome to Evergreen Coffee house!"

Aqua bowed gracefully, guiding the customers to their seats before handing out the menus.

You all must be curious about these recent turn of events.

Well, Kazuma being overly protective of Aqua's, made the decision for her to abstain from the arduous kill quests. It would be more fitting for her to take on a less physically exhausting part time job, which would allow her to make ends meet as well. Above all, Kazuma has even taken it upon himself to overlook Aqua's well-being by working as the barista of the cafe.

On another note, Aqua was beyond gratified to be granted exemption in any form of dangerous monster hunts during this period. Though Kazuma initially proposed for everyone to work at the coffeehouse together, Darkness and Megumin did not find the prospect of menial labor attractive in anyway. Hence, this adventurous duo resumed their routinely kill quests without the other two. Kazuma made sure to warn them not to be overly ambitious due to the lack of manpower.

...

The chattering and the commotion, the sound of metal spoons tapping against the porcelain cups all brought Kazuma back to reality. He refocused his watch onto Aqua, whom had just finished collating orders at a nearby table.

"KAAZUUUMMAAAA! Three cups of long black coffee for the gentlemen at that table."

Her voice sang out at Kazuma just as he was preparing the necessary ingredients.

...

Kazuma was still unfamiliar with his line of work, deeming himself unsuitable for work in any form of kitchening environment due to his impatience and clumsiness. Thankfully in this world, his high luck had been imperative in finding success with this new role. Even so, Kazuma proceeded ever so gingerly, spooning black coffee powder onto a sieve before tilting the kettle of hot water to soak the coffee powder through.

With the black aromatic residue gently finding its way into the serving glasses, Kazuma wiped his sweaty palms, signalling to Aqua the completion of his task.

...

"The customers would like to let the Barista know that the coffee was excellent!"

Aqua having completed her serving duties for now, skipped back to the coffee counter to deliver Kazuma the pleasant news. He mused in kind, eyes sparkling from this newfound sense of achievement.

"Heh heh heh of course, back in Japan I used to make coffee for the foreign ministers during international summits."

Aqua smirked in amusement as she caught on to Kazuma's obvious lie.

"Yeah right, in that case you should be making coffee for a goddess like me."

 _You know, if we weren't in a public place I would have socked you by now._

...

Aqua's lowered her voice as she leaned her elbow against the counter, hand resting against the side of her face apparently deep in thought.

"Hey Kazuma, can I do this more often? Its much more relaxing than kill quests."

...

Kazuma was wiping his hands on the handkerchief, removing any visible coffee stains.

"You have to participate in kill quests if you want to confront the demon king. Either way, these jobs don't pay very well and will get boring rather quickly."

...

"Oh yeah, the devil king..."

...

"After all... You want to return to your goddess chair... right?"

...

Kazuma's voice trailed away as he shifted his gaze away from her.

...

The doorbell chimed against the swing of the door, interrupting their conversation.

 _Ding ding!_

"Hi! Welcome to Evergreen Coff... OH NO ITS YOU AGAIN!"

Aqua was greeted by a tall blonde male in clunky navy blue armor and a legendary longsword. While the man returned the gesture in similar fashion, his eyes widened with confusion, unable to comprehend the sight that stood before him.

"Ms Aqua! I have been looking all over for you!"

Mitsurugi was beaming at her with however, was not pleased at this man's abrupt appearance.

"Well, I was not looking for you. So if you don't mind, find yourself a table or scram..."

...

Mitsurugi swallowed the unpleasant feelings of dejection, allowing an unfazed grin to make its way across his face instead.

This scene prompted Kazuma to narrow his eyes at Mitsurugi in suspicious.

 _What is he exactly up to?_

 _..._

"Actually, since you are here as well, I would like to discuss a proposition over a cup of coffee... Of course it will be on my treat."

"No thanks, I am absolutely not interested. "

Kazuma heaved a sigh of relief.

 _Now please go away, thank you very much!_

Aqua folded her arms and turned away, about to entertain her other customers before he muttered an important detail, making her stop dead in her tracks.

...

"There will be money involved if you agree..."

...

"KAAAZUUUMAHHH! Two cups of black coffee please!"

...

 _ARGH! THIS WOMAN IS TOO EASY!_

Mitsurugi took his seat along the coffee bar, producing a report for Aqua to read.

Aqua as flipped the pages, a wave of ecstasy swept across her face as she studied the numbers displayed on the paper.

"I dont even know where to begin ... How did you get your hands on so much money?"

...

"Well, I am going to face off against the devil king soon, so the guild master decided to write me a blank cheque to gather whatever resources I require. Eventually, I figured that I needed a competent priest on my team to offset the damage of the Devil king. Unfortunately, none of the other priests suit the role except you."

"If you agree to these terms, this sum of money will go towards your personal spending."

That was more money that they could ever hope to make in their entire lives.

It was possible that all the expensive alcohol, luxurious food, and grandiose lifestyle options will become just another day to day commodity.

Aqua was caught in at a standstill, repeatedly turning her gaze towards Kazuma and the contract.

...

...

 _If Aqua and Mitsurugi defeats the Demon King, it would mean that she would once again transcend to the afterlife; Her original plane of existence._

 _That would meant that I will no longer be able to meet Aqua ever again._

 _I would never be able to see his child._

...

 _Not like it matters right, its her choice to leave me anyways._

 _The there most burdensome things: A useless Goddess, an arrogant knight and that mistake will be gone before I know it._

 _I will be able to finally live my own life in peace._

...

Kazuma gritted his teeth and lowered his head in bitterness. His instinctive thoughts all the while leaving behind an ugly sense of satisfaction. The fact was that there were too many details to consider, plaguing his state of mind, resulting his consciousness to flicker in and out of reality.

Clear tricklets made its way onto the surface of the coffee bar.

...

 _Damn it Kazuma, you have already made your decision. Do not make me hate myself more than I already do._

 _Damn it, letting go was suppose to be easy._

 _..._

"I will get this, but I would like your help me with something..."

A familiar voice echoed around the confines of this mind, freezing his thoughts. Kazuma pivot his head around, desperately trying to identify the source of the sound.

...

His hands moved spontaneously, reaching out to catch an article that was shrouded in an intense glow.

Opening his palm, the light gradually subsided to reveal the embodiment of his promise he made to Aqua on that fateful night.

 _I promise to carry out my responsibility to the very end._

 _After all, it would not have been right otherwise._

...

...

Kazuma opened his eyes; Seemingly reborn into this world.

 _Nothing will stop me now..._

He silently brought his right hand forward, striking his palm open followed by an intense violet glow surrounding his fingertips.

"Anyways Aqua, you just have to sign on the line here..."

"STEEEEEAAAAAL!"

Aqua and Mitsurugi caught off guard by the sudden burst of light, bringing up their hands to shield their eyes.

...

The parchment on the table was gone, plunging Mitsurugi into a full blown panic attack. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the coffee bar, Kazuma's expression was dark, his eyes bulging with sadism, his lips curling into one of the most wicked smiles Aqua had ever seen.

"Hey, hey...Kazuma..."

His right hand rose from underneath the counter, flicking his fingers upright to reveal the rolled up contract resting on his thumb.

...

Rip...

...

...

...

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Mitsurugi shot up from his seat. Pure devastation evidently written all over his face.

...

"HUAHAHAHAHAAH! NOW DESPAIR AND FACE THE DEMON KING WITHOUT YOUR PRECIOUS HEALER! AQUA BELONGS TO ME YOU HEAR!"

Mitsurugi bolted out of the door, his cumbersome armor combined with his foul mood making him walk like a robot. With Aqua and Kazuma spontaneously laughing at his comical exit.

"I was planning to reject it anyways Kazuma."

Kazuma turned his head at Aqua in disbelief. She has got to be joking, every inch of Kazuma calling out bluff; There was absolutely no way she would reject such a generous offer given her personality.

"I don't trust him, I trust you more. Anyways, you promised me you will take care of her."

Aqua rested her palm on her belly, with Kazuma's eyes following her hand gesture. Though, it might not seem obvious at first glance, but Aqua's belly had gotten slightly larger.

However, there was one fact that confused Kazuma a great deal.

"How did you know the gender of the child?"

...

"Well I hope its a girl, I mean boys are perverted and smelly and..."

 _OH LIKE YOU ARE BETTER HUH?_

 _..._

Kazuma pointed a finger at her accusingly. His voice reduced to a mere drone.

"Hey... So girls pretend to be goddesses when they are actually a bunch of useless self proclaimed twats?"

Knowing Aqua well enough, that small insult was enough to drive her into a frenzy. She bit her lips and puffed up her cheeks, sorrow written all over her face.

 _Heh..._

Aqua forcefully collided into Kazuma, her hands curling into fists and slamming pathetically against his chest as she leaned her body weight onto his.

"KAAAAZUUUMAHHH I AM NOT USELESS."

 _Hai Kazuma des._

"I am sure you are not..."

Kazuma responded nonchalantly as he restrained her aggressive maneuvers by locking her wrists with his hands.

For Aqua however, this calls for some mad payback.

She slumped onto the ground in the middle of the walkway, crossing her legs and folding her arms.

"I am tired and I want to rest..."

Kazuma was appalled at her childish behavior.

"Are you serious? Get up we are in public!"

...

"NO!"

The adamant Aqua sure was throwing a fit.

 _I need to think of something fast._

 _..._

Kazuma sighed, instinctively turning around until his back was facing her while bringing his hands to his sides, lowering his body into a squatting position.

"Want a lift, dear goddess..."

Kazuma could feel a sudden beam of excitement surge towards his direction, an unfamiliar weight settling himself onto his back and her sweet lavender scented head resting on his shoulder.

 _What has she been eating?_

Meanwhile as Kazuma trudged along the path, he became increasingly distracted as he enclosed his hand around Aqua's exposed thighs. His fingers found them smooth to the touch, massaging, caressing them in a perverse manner, enjoying the lingering electrifying sensations left behind.

 _HER LEGS ARE NOTHING SHORT OF INCREDIBLE!_

Kazuma's senses returned when Aqua hit him on his head.

"You pervert, don't touch me like that or I make this public..."

Kazuma snickered in glee as he turned his head around, only to be greeted with Aqua's hot pink blushing face.

"Its your payment you stinking goddess... Anyways, You were secretly enjoying it weren't you..."

Kazuma question had to wait, as the physical abuse by Aqua may be too much to handle right now.

Megumin and Darkness waltzed into the room only to greeted by a lethargic Kazuma stretched out against the sofa and reading the newspaper.

"Kazuma? Where is Aqua?"

...

"She went to bed already."

...

"Ohhh... Shouldn't you be accompanying her."

Megumin inquired, a mischievous grin forming around her face.

...

"Who do you think I am? Anyway how was your kill quest?"

Traces of irritation was evident from his voice, he himself was tired as well but sleep refused to come.

...

"Er, I will be going to wash up first."

Darkness feeling uneasy from the tension between Kazuma and Megumin, hurriedly pranced into her room.

...

Megumin's lips curling into a deadly grin, bringing her hands into her robe and pulling out a familar navy blue box she had procured earlier.

Kazuma shot up from his seat in pure terror, pointing his finger at Megumin accusingly.

"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?!"

...

"Hmm, you should check your pockets before tossing them in the laundry basket Kazuma."

Megumin teased Kazuma by waving the box around.

"Dammit... Give it back!"

"Nope, unless you can beat me in a game. However if I win, you will have to reveal to me everything between you and Aqua."

...

Megumin's whipped her hand out, which Kazuma shook as a sign of agreement.

"As if I had a choice... What game would it be then?"

...

She produced two decks of cards from within her robes and laid out each individual card for Kazuma to see. While the cards having a multitude of unique illustrations, they could be distinguished into two categories: creature or equipment cards. Kazuma felt a surge of confidence flowing through him, finding himself back at home with these cards. The game itself was similar to those of trading card games back when he was still in Japan.

The bread and butter activities you would expect any NEET to invest their time in.

"The name of the game is called Guardians of Axel. Each of us will start of with ten heart points and the objective of the game would be to reduce your opponent's heart points to zero."

Megumin drew a monster and an equipment card from the set and flashed them at Kazuma.

"The chronology of the game is determined by the turn number. With more turns allowing the player to bring even stronger monsters into the fray. To top it off, you can augment your monster cards with equipment cards to create deadly combinations and wipe the floor with your enemies."

...

"Seems easy enough."

...

"On a final note, you can only summon one monster card per turn and only one equipment card is permitted per monster on the battlefield."

Megumin scooped the cards back up and recompiled them into their respective decks.

"I was the best player in the household and I am not going to lose to you!"

Upon understanding the fact that the game mechanics were way less complex than those in Japan, Kazuma unleashed a smile that was beaming in utter confidence.

"Heh, these card games were pretty much a large chunk my life. I will not make this easy for you!"  
_

The skies darkened with grey ominous clouds, releasing an occasional flash of lightning that struck the earth, resulting in tremors powerful enough to create deep fissures of volcanic lava, ravaging the already hostile and desolate landscape.

It would not have turn out this way, if not for the Witch and her dastardly schemes.

As for our fateful hero of Axel, Kazuma has finally arrived at the end.

Kazuma hollered across the valley to a dark petite figure in a witch outfit.

"EARTH EATER MEGUMIN! I AM HERE TO STOP YOU!"

...

"WELL, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU TRY!"

Megumin raised her hands as if conjuring a sort of spell, churning the landscape into what seemed like a giant soccer stadium. They stood at the ends of the arena itself, This time only separated by distance.

Kazuma and Megumin whipped out their respective decks and drew three cards in an overly dramatic fashion.

Megumin flung her witch hat high into the sky, revealing her distorted face brimming with malevolence.

"I go first! I summon out Exploding Flame conjurer!"

The arena floor ruptured only, with a flaming skeleton emerging from within its core and crawled to stand alongside its summoner. The creature had multiple horn like protrusions littered across his skeletal construction, but had no visible organs aside from the bright orange flames that shrouded it.

Megumin mused with arrogance, already assuming the fight was over before it had even started.

"Since this is my first turn, I am unable to attack you, but you should know the fate that is about to befall you!"

...

"Well then, its my move!"

"I bring forth the Soul Seeker of Purity and grant him the use of the truth seeking javelin, with this my creature would be able to attack you directly!"

A glowing chrysalis emerged from the grey clouds, bursting itself open to revealing an armored shining angel. It raised its hand up and grasped a majestic spear with divine and sacred construction. Aiming well, he thrust the spear forward at Megumin, its inhuman velocity resulted in a swift transformation into an intense beam of white light.

The spear went straight through Megumin like a laser, the resulting pain spread across her body relentlessly. With Megumin grasping her chest in a futile attempt to distract herself from the agony...

Although she suffered half her health worth of damage. The outcome of the battle was still left largely undecided.

"Its my move then! Next I proceed to summon my faithful Demonic World Eater to ensure your pathetic demise!"

An alligator with searing hot flames with steel plated scales descended from the skies and landed onto the playing field accompanied with a terrifying explosion. Emerging from the dust clouds with Its demonic eyes locked on to Kazuma.

"My two minons! Sick em!"

Both of the creatures lunged forward aggressively with lightning speed, positioning themselves before launching a combined stream of green flames at Kazuma's Soul Seeker, vaporizing it in an instant. The aftershocks created by the blast wave released sheer force enough to send Kazuma smashing into the Arena grandstand.

Megumin released an evil laughter, sending waves of chills down the hero's spine as he struggled to his feet amongst the debris.

"That should take you to the halfway mark as well... Dare to continue."

...

The battle raged on for what seemed like eternity, with no victor in sight.

"This is it Kazuma! My most strongest monster! The Demon God of Explosions itself! Chomsuke the Titan of Destruction!"

A giant cat leapt majestically from across the horizon, its black body littered with numerous volcanic veins and sharp spines. Its ferocious purr capable of tearing a hole through the surrounding landscapes. That creature was fearsome in its own right, leaving Kazuma no choice but to bring out his triumph card to even the odds.

"Then same goes for me! I bring forth the Goddess of Water herself, Goddess of Soul purification!"

The darkened sky above ruptured apart upon his command with an angelic maiden with endless cyan blue hair and cerulean blue eyes descending from the very heavens itself. The bright pink Raiment denoted her status of a goddess, while the rose staff in her hand enforced her role as the strongest purifier. Her very presence gave life barren wasteland, enriching her proximity with abundant greenery that sprouted in a mere instant.

...

"KAZZZZUUMMMMAAAA!"

...

"MEGGGGUMMMINNNN!"

Both godly creatures charged at each other with ferocious might, clashing with destructive vigor, unleashing power so great, altering the very fabric of existance they had sat upon.

The Inevitable The clash of the titans.

...  
...

"So... I win Heehehee."

Kazuma widened his grin gleefully, flashing his fingers in a V to add more salt to Megumin's wound.

"Dammit Kazuma, i didn't expect you to be this good at my childhood card game."

...

"Can't call it a childhood card game when you are still a child!"

Kazuma retorted sarcastically as he neatly recompiled the cards back into the deck.

"Kazuma thats not fair at all...How can you be so good at this!"

Megumin reluctantly handed the blue box to an overjoyed Kazuma before burying her face into her arms to mourn her loss. After Kazuma checked the contents of the box carefully, he shifted it into his pocket, at the same time carving a deep reminder into his memory to ensure that he does not repeat the same mistake.

...

A familiar voice rang out that almost broke him into a panicked frenzy. He spun around to meet a sleepy eyed Aqua in her blue pajamas.

"Kaazuuma, whats with the ruckus, I am trying to get some rest for tomorrow..."

Megumin could not find it in herself to tolerate it any longer, prompting her to confront Aqua directly.

"Aqua! What is with you and Kazuma lately, you know because of you Kazuma has been acting so weird!"

...

"Huh? Its not me! Its kazuma's fault for making me pregnant!"

"P...Pre... Pregn...Pregnant?!"

"Yeah tell her its all your fault Kazuma!"

...

Kazuma world shattered before his eyes, now his hidden relationship with Aqua all but revealed.

 _Oh my god you freaking goddess what have you done..._

Megumin was petrified by her revelation. Meanwhile, Kazuma too was equally distraught to think straight, leaving Megumin in the living room before tugging Aqua towards her private room to give him a piece of his mind.

Closing the door gently, he spun around at Aqua and gave her the most anguished expression he could muster.

"What did you do that for?"

...

Aqua's eyes were shivering from the deadly stares that Kazuma threw and her.

"Whats wrong with telling them about our crisis?"

...

Kazuma hardened his fists, trying his utmost best to contain his anger.

"We cannot rope them into our problems Aqua because we are the ones responsible, hence we have to solve it ourselves."

...

..

Aqua broke the silence, slumping her head downwards and sniffling away pitifully with tears brimming down her sleepy cerulean eyes.

A genuinely sad, broken version of Aqua was not recognizable by Kazuma.

Feeling regretful for his harsh words, Kazuma leaned forward to access his damage only to be stopped by Aqua's stinging, sharp words.

...

"Stop it Kazuma! Stop taking everything upon yourself! They are our friends! Isn't that a good enough reason to let them in on this secret! I hate lying! I hate secrets..."

"I don't want our child to be a secret! I want it to be accepted in this world like we are."

A deep sense of guilt gradually took hold of him.

 _That's right, to have Aqua to lie was to suffer all for my own selfishness._

He gingerly placed his hand on Aqua's face and wiped away her tears with his fingers, much to Aqua's confusion.

...

"I promise we will not hide the child of ours anymore."

That sentence seemed to have calmed Aqua down as her sniffling eventually subsided. With her fatigue finally settling in, she meticulously laid herself evenly on the bed and prepared herself for the night ahead.

She flipped away from Kazuma, irritation riddled all over her voice.

"Leave me alone you stupid Trashzuma NEET..."

...

Aqua was startled by Kazuma's response.

Kazuma laid beside her and wrapped his arms gently around her belly, arching his body to match hers and tangling his legs with her own. Fortunately for Kazuma, everything was going in the opposite direction. Aqua was unable to muster the will within her to resist his comforting embrace.

A soft apology edged its way into Aqua's ear.

"I am deeply sorry..."

...

Kazuma was surprised that Aqua did not reject the hug, instead turning around to bury her face into the crook of his neck, rubbing her wet eyes against his shirt as she slowly drifted off into a slumber. The Warmth and fuzziness eventually worked its way into Kazuma, persuading him to close his eyes to savor its comforting sensations.

"Kazuma, you are still here and awake?"

Although She had slept for a few hours, Kazuma remained insomniac throughout that duration. Still recovering from the trauma inflicted by That particular evening's events. Judging from the position of the moon from the window, It was probably around the wee hours of the morning. He glanced back into Aqua deep beautiful, just as her cerulean eyes slowly crept up face his.

They remained locked in their embrace ever since, heads leaning against the same pillow, facing each other and both unable to find any resolve to seperate.

Aqua who was evidently embarrassed by Kazuma's stares, made a poor attempt to divert her sight, However, she was too entranced by the assertive presence embedded within his brown eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that its really embarrassing."

...

"Why do I want to look anywhere else but the most beautiful person I had ever laid my eyes on."

"Stop gushing at a goddess, it doesn't work and you aren't getting any favors."

Kazuma lips pulled into a soft grin, discreetly studying Aqua's soft facial features.

"Well, not any mortal has what it takes to sire a Goddess, would that make me something else?"

Aqua's face flushed at his comment; A deep shade of crimson perpetually forming around her cheeks.

Thats right Aqua, we promised: No more secrets.

...

...

 _Here goes nothing._

"It is beyond hurtful for any compassionate father to force the mother to raise a child alone."

Kazuma's hand dipped into his pocket.

"The responsibility of the child's upbringing ultimately belongs to both the father and the mother..."

His fingers wrapped around the blue box.

"This child is the embodiment of love we have for each other."

He pulled the blue box and parked it directly in Aqua's line of sight.

"Without him to bind us, our promises may eventually mean nothing. However, as long as he remains by our side, our promises mean everything."

Kazuma proceeded to uncase the box to reveal the ring, and much to Aqua's astonishment, their full names were etched into the ring in tiny cursive letters.

 _Well, Kazuma's full name was. Kazuma never got to know Aqua's surnames._

"Aqua, will you marry me?"

Aqua was frozen from bliss, unable to comprehend all the events that were occurring during this moment. The only visible movement from her body was the blinking her eyes repeatedly to hide her tears.

Kazuma snickered affectionately, removed the ring from the box cushion and slid it onto Aqua's finger without experiencing any form of resistance from her.

Unfortunately for Aqua, the tears refused to subside, spurring Aqua to gather sufficient strength to cup her face and hide her embarrassment. However Kazuma was not fond of her idea, instead gently peeling of the ringed hand with his own, encircling their fingers together.

 _You are being so selfish by hiding your face away from my sight..._

"How... I dont... know... How to express my...love... Kazume can you... show...me..." _  
_

The clear streams that traversed down her delicate facial features. The cuteness emanating from her smooth and silky voice enhanced by her soft hiccups was too much to bear for Kazuma.

...

"You just have to say one thing Aqua, say Ahhhh."

"Ahhhhh?"

Kazuma moved his head in to seal his lips within Hers. Enjoying her lavish taste of and fragrant scent as their tongues were locked in a passionate duel. However, they separated rather quickly due to their lack of experience.

"After all, remember that I have to feed you whenever You said Ah?"

...

"Well... It wasn't half bad for a Goddess, Kazuma."


	5. Remake

Despite how the sun was relentlessly dispersing light and heat in all directions. Its scorching, searing heat effectively dispatched by the draughty breezes carried over from the surrounding meadow. The perfect weather allowed numerous flocks of majestic rainbow colored pigeons to gracefully sweep across the tranquil, clear blue skies. Rendering the awkward silence of the mansion fragmented by their collective chirps: A melodious symphony of soothing harmonies.

...

...

Meanwhile, inside the living room, Kazuma released a nervous cough to break the stillness.

 _It was time._

"Let the house meeting commence! Darkness please go ahead first."

Darkness cleared her throat as she gave her script a final glance before delivering her weekly report.

"Ahem, this week, Megumin and I have participated in five kill quests and have collected a total of one million Eris each. We will be contributing two hundred thousand towards the house and the remainder is for our personal usage. That is all I have today."

As Darkness gingerly made her way to her seat, she noticed how Kazuma's head was bowed with a darkened expression written all over his face, playing with his thumbs in an effort to distract himself from what seemed like fear.

...

The next to take center stage was Megumin.

"Well, I did the laundry four times this week and I think we should re-organise the laundry duties!"

Megumin declared in angst as she threw her arms outward. However as she stole a glance at Aqua, Megumin was reminded of the situation at hand.

"Well, but I guess some people require more rest than others. This issue can be put on hold for now..."

...

Darkness eagerly spun her head at Aqua, tapping her on the shoulders.

"Aqua, its your turn!"

...

"Right, we worked part time jobs and collected our paychecks of four hundred thousand Eris each. Its not a lot but we would be giving one hundred thousand for..."

Darkness upon realizing something amiss, spontaneously bursted out with lethal excitement, causing Kazuma to jerk upright in distress.

"Aqua whats that?!"

Darkness was pointing the the glimmering golden article on her ring finger, causing bright flecks of pink to rise across Aqua's cheeks as the memories of last night wavered back into her mind.

Megumin snickered at Aqua's reaction before glancing at Kazuma, giving him both a smug look and a thumbs up.

 _This man's done it._

Aqua relived that night's experience with Kazuma, allowing a strange but pleasant adrenaline to work its way into her system, making Aqua's lips naturally curl into a wide grin.

She shot her palm out towards Darkness, coercing her back into her seat.

"Yeah please be patient!.. I was about to get to that juicy bit!"

...

Heaving a deep breath to compose herself, gathering as much confidence as she could to break the news.

"Kazuma proposed to me last night. And I accepted it!"

 _Oh this is so embarrassing..._

 **"OH MY GOSH! CONGRATULATIONS!"**

Darkness sprung forward, applauding loudly for Aqua's newfound blessing.

"What did you guys do before we all became an official a party? This proposal is all too sudden, was there a secret ongoing relationship I was not aware of?..."

Darkness felt that something was amiss, Aqua seemed slightly more bloated than usual.

 _Did Aqua gain weight?_

"Aqua! What did you eat recently? It seems as though you had gain weight!"

...

"Haha...no no no no no no..."

...

Aqua looked away from Darkness in an attempt to mask her embarrassment.

"I am pregnant."

...

...

 **"OH MY GOSH! CONGRATULATIONS!"**

Darkness approach Aqua and took her hand, shaking it with adrenaline coursing through her veins.

...

"I guess ... That makes Kazuma the father right since he proposed to you?"

Before Kazuma had the chance to speak, Darkness already tumbled her way to him, grabbing his hand and shaking it with ferocity.

 **"OH MY GOSH! CONGRATULATIONS!"**

 _This girl is too crazy for her own good!_

 _..._

Darkness's curiosity got the better of her, bombarding Aqua with countless questions.

"How does it feel to have a baby inside you? Good? Painful? Can I touch it? What happens if it kicks you?"

...

Kazuma narrowed his eyes at Darkness, pointing at her accusingly.

"I thought you would know... Weren't you pregnant with my child too? After all, you said it so casually in front of your own father..."

Kazuma could see Aqua flinch a little at his comment.

"Er...When?"

 _Baka she is hopeless!_

Darkness spun her head back to Aqua, placing her hand gently on Aqua's abdoment. Her gesture catching Aqua completely by surprise.

"Wait what are you?"

...

"Aqua tell me how does it feel?"

...

"Er, it isnt all that pleasant. Mood swings, weird tastes in foods, cramps, sickness. Thankfully as I am a Goddess, these problems won't affect me one bit!"

Kazuma rolled her eyes at her statement.

 _Yeah right, throwing your mood swings at me every chance you get..._

Darkness was elated at her reply, letting a new sense of euphoria smash her like a train wreck. Her head to bounced around accompanied by a face littered with mad blushes. All the while drawing pleasure from her inner masochist.

"All that torturous pain racking up within your fiber of your being, almost makes ... Me want to have a... Child of my own."

 _No not another one!_

...

With the meeting finally adjourned, it was back to the daily grind for everyone.

This time around however, the cafe was jammed pack with people, unlike the likes of which Kazuma has ever seen before. Apparently, word around Axel relating to high quality black coffee travels fast. The business and nosiness being the direct success of his result was something that Kazuma was not fond of in particular: He had to entertain an endless number of coffee orders, which would also mean that the cleaning would be much more troublesome after the closing hours. Occasionally, the thought of returning to the field would edge its way into his conscious. After all, killing monsters and exchanging their carcasses for monetary rewards were actually exciting, profitable and not as stress inducing as opposed to being a barista.

Most of all, the business of the crowd prevented Aqua from conversing with Kazuma over the coffee counter as often. Something he missed dearly despite their short time here.

...

"Woah Kazuma, great work!"

Kazuma turned around only to be greeted by the manager of the cafe. A plump man that was no taller than Kazuma himself, however he appeared old enough to be Kazuma's father, bearing little hair and dressed like an 18th Century English aristocrat. Introducing himself during brunch service came as a bombshell for Kazuma, his mere presence prompting him to jerk upright at attention.

"Damn my luck to be caught slacking at a time like this!"

...

"Haha! At ease young one. I am hear only to deliver good news to both of you."

...

"Both?"

Kazuma's question was answered by a worn-out Aqua crashing weaving through the dense crowd of the cafe. Upon noticing the manager presence, Aqua straightened herself out and gave him the most pleasant smile she could muster.

"Hi sir! You look great today! I hope you have been fine..."

 _Kazuma glared at her in annoyance, Aqua and her pretentious personalities rising up once again._

"Hoho, I am alright thank you for your kind concern Aqua. Anyways, this week you will receive our payouts earlier along with a bonus of five hundred thousand Eris each."

"Nine hundred thousand this week?!" Both of them exclaimed in unison.

The manager did not say anything further, instead pulling out two envelopes from his coat pocket and passing them to Aqua and Kazuma respectively before making his exit through the back of the cafe.

"Enjoy the rest of your day here, if you can HAHA!"

Aqua and Kazuma beamed at each other with exuberance.

...

Finally, with the departure of the final customer. Work was finally done for the day.

"Thats quite a sum for a mere part time job... Wonder what am I going to use it on?"

Aqua pondered aloud, hoping that Kazuma would give her a suggestion.

...

"How about we go on another holiday."

...

"Thats great! We should tell the others as well..."

...

"No, I meant you and I... Only"

...

"Huh?"

Kazuma only chuckled at her clueless response. His hand gingerly enclosed itself around hers, enjoying the feeling of her skin on his fingertips that left behind a warm lingering sensation.

"Does it hurt that much for you to spend more quality time with your future husband?"

...

"It wont be fair to the rest? They would be working while we are having fun?"

...

"Its just a short getaway, anyways they can take their vacations once we are back."

...

"Anyways, lets go visit the Hot springs!"

...

"No..."

She gripped onto both Kazuma's hands, bringing them both up to Aqua's chest as though trying to bribe him. Her rosy cheeks puffing up with widened shimmering cerulean eyes, begging like a pitiful puppy she thinks she is.

"PLEASSEEE!"

"No I don't want to be chased around by weird cultists again. Especially when I have to face their goddess everyday..."

...

 _Did I cross a line?_

...

"WAAAAHHHH KAZHUMMAAAH..."

Kazuma gently rubbed her index finger against her lower eyelids, wiping away the moisture and flicking it aside.

"This goddess! Anyways, I have a better plan."

"Fine... I am all in ears..."

She pulled away from Kazuma, crossing her arms and pouting in annoyance.

 _This girl and her mood swings are getting out of hand!_

...

A familiar voice rang out from behind, causing Aqua to twitch in irritation.

"Aqua sama! I have been looking all over for you!

Looking behind, I saw an exhausted Mitsurugi bending over as he caught his breath. He was holding out his arm; The same contract from the cafe this time between his fingers.

"I was hoping you would reconsider..."

...

"Hmmph, it is not polite to make a goddess wait while you take your own sweet time. I am sorry Mitsurugi but I am not interested anymore!"

Mitsurugi could only look at her with pure devastation written all over his face.

"But but..."

"Spare me the excuses, the goddess will no longer respond to your redundant queries, now if you would excuse us..."

 _I actually felt bad for the knight for once, you are enjoying this aren't you Aqua..._

As she brought up her arms her chest to cross them, A glimmer on her ring finger caused by the reflection of the sunlight caught his attention.

"Aqua? Who gave you that? Never mind, I think I know the answer"

Kazuma could tell that Mitsurugi was exasperated, frustrated from confronting a seemingly unending series of unfortunate events. As all the pieces finally fell into place, his voice stooped to a real low with traces of disappointment.

He brought forth a compilation of questions, causing Kazuma to flinch in disgust.

"Why choose him of all people?"

"Wasn't he the guy that brought you out of your dimension and screw your life over?"

"We want you to return to your throne, are you saying that he is more important than your responsibility as a goddess."

...

"It does not make any sense... "

The next movement by Mitsurugi broke the camel's back, it was the last straw.

Mitsurugi daringly advanced towards Aqua and forcefully took her hands in his. Unlike the previous occasions where Aqua would kick up an abusive tantrum, her fatigue that was settling in from her work and pregnancy only rendered her immobilized with fear. This was the same warrior that took down a dragon, his tall and intimidating figure was indeed a sight to behold.

"I am capable of protecting you Aqua more than he could ever hope to do."

...

...

Kazuma was furious.

He had never experienced such strong emotions in his life.

It felt as though everything that Mitsurugi pointed out shattered every living fibre in his being.

It was only fair to repay that transgression dearly with burning vengeance.

...

"Have you spoke enough yet. If this is about me then just confront me about it, but don't you dare touch her."

Aqua worriedly looked at Kazuma, his malicious expression adding on to the immense fear that she herself was already experiencing.

"Kazuma..."

"You... I still remember the time you destroyed my important contract printout at that cafe. Thing is Kazuma, you are just slowing down Goddess Aqua's journey against the Devil King. Unlike you, I intend for Goddess Aqua to be happy by helping her restore her rightful throne. Thus, the fact that I am much more capable than you largely remains unchallenged..."

Mitsurugi was tired of Kazuma's cheap tricks, its about time he confronted Mitsurugi like a man.

...

Kazuma simply dropped his seriousness expression, giving off a deadpanned look before breaking into a casual shrug. He followed it up by approaching Mitsurugi and started patting his shoulder plate, much to his confusion.

 _Geez this guy sure is clueless..._

 _..._

"Alright, you can have her."

"HUH"

"Hey Hey wait what? Kazuma?"

Aqua was beyond hysterical, while Mitsurugi's mood took a complete new direction. With now what looked like pure joy etched all over his face.

"I mean after all, Aqua is a truly one of a kind Goddess, surely you will never find someone like her? Sigh I guess I have to kill myself, impregnate Eris and start all over..."

Aqua vein popped at Kazuma's sarcastic, sickening comment.

"How dare you even say such a thing you NEET, trash zuma...If I wasn't so tired I would have pulverized you..."

Needless to say, the insults were endless. Much to Kazuma's weird contentment.

 _At least she treasures me now more than ever before..._

 _..._

Meanwhile, a perplexed yet elated Mitsurugi eagerly caught Kazuma's attention once more with a shoulder tap.

"What are you trying to say man?"

...

Kazuma turned to him with a deadpanned expression, speaking nonchalantly with his pinkie comically digging his right ear.

"I mean, all you need to do is pretty simple really: feed her alcohol on an everyday basis, tolerate her whimsical nagging and arrogant outbursts, public tantrums and nuisances, her violent behavior and vulgar tongue and of course the tendency to screw up your quest progression in a multitude of ways thought unimaginable..."

Half of Mitsurugi's smile had already turned into a frown, his body beginning to shudder at the sudden enlightenment.

 _HERE COMES THE KILLING BLOW!_

"Lets not forget one simple thing..."

...

The next three words sent Mitsurugi into what seemed like a sea of despair. Adding further salt to the wound and Kazuma's own sadistic pleasure, he made it a point to articulate each word concisely.

...

"Aqua is pregnant."

...

"HUH? You gotta be kidding. There is no way a goddess like Aqua would let people like you defile her."

Despite Mitsurugi's constant protests against the situation. His face showed signs that suggested otherwise, his complexion turning pale accompanied with uneven breathing. Adding on to the fact that he has yet to have a glance at Aqua's abdomen.

With his inner demons taking over, Kazuma wanted to induce onto Mitsurugi more than just mere anxiety issues, Kazuma was wishing for him to experience a full fledged heart attack. Rolling his eyes in amusement, smiling menacingly as he slowly sealed Mitsurugi's demise.

"As you can see from her increased belly size, Aqua will eventually give birth to my child which I would have a large chunk of responsibility over. Unless of course if you were ever so kind to take on child support in my place, I don't see why not?"

...

"Sksksksksksk! That was pretty mean of you Kazuma. Sksksksksk!"

Aqua was losing herself to her laughter, so much so that she could not even walk properly much to Kazuma's disdain. Fortunately for her, Kazuma being the kind gentleman he had always envisioned himself to be, eventually cave in to Aqua's demand for a piggy back ride home.

Aqua planted a soft kiss in the crook of Kazuma's neck much to his surprise. Kazuma spontaneously turned around, only to catch a glimpse of Aqua's blushing face.

"Anyways... That's your reward for protecting me from that Mitsurugi creep I guess..."

"Hmm its not that bad, next time I will start charging higher rates for piggyback rides."

"KAZZUUUMAAA YOU PERVERT. YOU SHOULD BE COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS AS I AM GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO LET YOU RUN YOUR PERVERTED HANDS ON MY THIGHS!"

Thankfully much to Kazuma's luck, with dusk had already settled across the horizon, the streets were void of people. Hence no one got to pick up Aqua's embarrassing outburst.

...

Kazuma plopped an exhausted Aqua onto the couch before laying down next to her. However it wasn't him to just leave her alone without getting some form of retribution for breaking his back. After much consideration, he eventually allowed himself to cave in to his inner demons once more, leaning his head on her bare lap as a makeshift pillow, taking a breath of Aqua's aroma emanating from the exposed regions of her smooth, cream colored skin, moving up his hands to play with Aqua's long cyan locks of hair: Silky and fine to his touch.

...

"Aqua?"

Aqua opened her tired cerulean orbs upon hearing Kazuma's soft call, only to be held captive by Kazuma's forest green orbs. Their heads separated by mere distance.

"Hmm?"

Kazuma raised an issue to Aqua, causing her eyes widen in astonishment.

"Can you start wearing underwear?"

She was instantly awake, giving Kazuma a dead, cold, condescending glare while bringing up her index finger to poke his cheek repeatedly.

"Huh?! So that you can finally stop looking at my beautiful godly ass? Pervert...NEET..."

Kazuma responded to her childish antics with a mischievous smirk written across his face.

"Why do I need to look when I had already defiled it without you knowing?"

Unfortunately, his comment earned him a sharp pinch on his cheek, which he cried out in pain as the result of it.

 _Okay in all seriousness._

"No on the contrary, I get a little bit annoyed when there are random male passersby just staring at your ass in all its glory. Or at the very least wear some pants or extend your skirt at the tailors would be a decent touch."

...

"Alright, I will get it done tomorrow. But I will only listen to you because you are the husband of a goddess, got it?"

Kazuma released a satisfied grin at her over-the-top comment.

"Yea sure..."

...

"AWWW! what a heartfelt declaration by Aqua herself."

Two distinct but familiar voices cooed in unison, breaking their moment.

 _Damn Megumin and Darkness._

...

Kazuma climbed back upright from her lap, evidently vexed by their abrupt interruptions.

"What have you two girls been up to today?"

However before Kazuma could continue his conversation, Megumin had dumped a few catalogs onto his lap. The suggestive cover pages rendered Aqua and Kazuma's immobilized, though their eyes were fixated onto the cover images, the amount of new information was too much for them to comprehend; Effectively overwhelming their thought processes. Everything was moving too fast for them to even follow.

On the other hand, Megumin and Darkness were beaming with pride at their discoveries, filling up the silence with joyous remarks.

"Since you two are engaged, we had the liberty to find some resources to push your relationship a step further."

Darkness clasped her hands together, as though unable to contain her excitement.

"That's right! Its your marriage!"

(AN: Shorter chapter due to the high key events that had happened recently, stay tuned for more updates. On another note, this story would have a total of ten chapters before the end. Just a heads up! :D)


	6. Return

Kazuma grumbled at their intrusion, neatly piling the catalogs without even flipping open the pages. Much to Megumin and Darkness's dismay.

"You two... Anyways sorry to disappoint you both but Aqua and I do not intend to rush, but thanks for the thought."

"Aww."

The dejected Crusader and Arch Wizard sighed in unison.

"Anyways, the bonus granted by the cafe owner was just barely enough to for us to scrape by, not to indulge in any luxuries by any means. As such, we do not even have enough money to host these occasions yet."

...

Megumin's crimson eyes lit up with joy as an idea spontaneously floated into her mind.

"You could always go back to kill quests! Join us Kazuma!"

Despite the tempting offer made by Megumin, leaving Aqua behind was selfish and out of the question.

"No, it would be too dangerous for Aqua, I will remain here and look after her well-being."

Aqua's vein burst at that remark. After all she was tired of Kazuma's constant protests and babysitting, to reinforce her stance even further, she pinched his ear and articulated her words clearly into them.

"Sheesh, who do you think I am ... I am a goddess of water! G-O-D-D-E-S-S. I will be fine just by myself, you go out there and enjoy yourself."

As if by fate, Aqua's hands tightly clutched onto her abdomen, a sickened expression splayed out across her face. Aqua's frenzied dash towards the washroom was nothing more than a blur. With the resulting noises from Aqua's regurgitation crumbling the silence rendered by the sudden turn of events. A rush of deep guilt and remorse slammed against Kazuma's psyche, helplessly witnessing this pitiful scene.

 _She deserves more than this..._

 _If I save enough money, I could bring her for a vacation to ease her stress..._

 _Maybe just maybe, I can make her life a little better._

...

...

With what seemed like Kazuma finally caving into his desires for adventure, he diverted himself towards Megumin with glee, giving them a thumbs up in agreement with her suggestion.

Darkness turned her head to Megumin, giving her a wink.

"Megumin, lets show Kazuma how much stronger we have become."

"Right!"

...

A barbarian outpost four miles from Axel had been terrorizing travelers and traders alike, plundering their belongings and compromising the safety between popular trade routes. As such, the spoils from their constant pillaging allowed them to continuously update and replenish their weapons arsenal. While the barbarian numbers lie only around twenty five, their chieftain has been known to hold a powerful magic weapon at his disposal. As such adding on to the difficulty of the already demanding kill quest.

"This looks pretty challenging, going up against twenty five brutes without a healer..."

"Twenty five men coming down hard on me with their heavy, clunky weaponry. What a feeling to behold, probably much more than I could possibly comprehend."

Megumin folded her arms, firing skeptical glares towards the quest bulletin while Darkness wrapped her seemingly fragile body with her arms, shuddering in pleasure at the mere thought of facing these battle-hardened warriors in mortal combat. Unfortunately for the both of them, Kazuma did not take any heed to either of their concerns. Instead, his eyes were fixated onto the rewards, ignoring the numerous red skulls that littered the quest parchment.

Twelve million Eris, and a legendary weapon to boot, the sword itself would probably worth much more given its legendary weapon status. That was enough money to fund the vacation, while still leaving behind a substantial amount for the baby.

Making his decision, he ripped the paper from the quest bulletin board and stuffed it into his pocket.

On the other hand, Megumin and Darkness were taken aback by Kazuma's decision, it was unlike him to select a dangerous quest without a proper assessment of their party beforehand.

Megumin arched forward to make a protest, but Darkness discouraged her with a pull on her shoulder.

 _This could be the perfect opportunity to show him how much combat prowess we had attained since our last kill quest together._

 _..._

Kazuma's muttering prompted Darkness and Megumin to redirect their gazes towards them.

"I think we would need one more person to file in for Aqua to increase our chances of success, and given the current circumstances, I might know who that person is. Meet me at the city gate in fifteen minutes."

The ringing of the wind-chimes snapped Wiz out of her stupor, following through her routinely motion, bowing her head towards the entrance to greet a potential customer.

"Hi welcome to Wiz shop! How may I... Kazuma what are you doing here?"

Wiz's deprivation of energy was evident from her greeting, which was barely louder than that of a whimper.

"Yo."

Kazuma glanced around the shop, realizing that nothing much about it has actually changed. Instead, it was Wiz that had slimmed down tremendously, her poor income having driven her to the brink of starvation. Feeling rather pitiful, Kazuma proceeded to meet Wiz at the counter, audibly muttering a few words that made Wiz dipped her head in disappointment.

"I assumed you didn't make a profit recently?"

...

"Yea. I have not been eating well either because of that."

 _It figures..._

Kazuma heaved a sigh, retrieving the quest bulletin from his pocket and handing it over to her, Wiz's widened her eyes in horror as she scanned its contents.

"These vile barbarians are causing trouble for many of the townsfolk, I hope that you would like to join us to dispatch these malevolent beings. Of course a portion of the money would be credited to you. Which would mean ample food on the table for months or so."

Kazuma's expression was dark with a sly smirk stretched across his face, like a shrewd business man dealing with a high risk business transactions. His intimidating complexion made Wiz nervous, consequently stuttering her sentences.

"Well, if they are as evil as you had described, I...I...will gladly help you in your quest."

...

Three kilometers away from the bustling trade routes was a valley predominantly populated by tourists due to its breathtaking scenery, a sheet of lime green thinly cascading across the entire landscape, emitting a radiant hue when exposed to sunlight. Unfortunately, its beauty was shattered when the barbarians implanted their tacky encampment along the ridge-lines: red brown and black paint splattered across the gates of decomposing wooden logs that surrounded the encampment, held together by tight-knitted rope knots and lashings. Several straw huts were erected within, accompanied by an ugly black smoke column that rose from its center. Screaming out an invitation for any daring adventurer seeking a brawl of their lives.

"HOII, WE HAVE A CARRIAGE MAKING COMING RIGHT FOR US! I CAN SEE AN ADVENTURER, ONE ARCH WIZARD, ONE NECROMANCER AND A CRUSADER.

The burly chieftain glanced up once at the guard perched along the walls. Nodding one before climbing off his seat, picking up his trademark weapon off the ground. He smashed the pommel of his sword onto the ground once. A signal for all the barbarians within the encampment to bear arms and flood out of the main gate.

...  
...

 _I will show Kazuma what I can do!_

They took up position along the high ground, with the full view of the hotblooded, bloodthirsty pillagers hungrily stampeding towards them. Clad in hard-leather armor and wielding various types of conventional weaponry, leaving Kazuma slightly more anxious than usual.

Kazuma's time away from the field has taken its toll on him. While he was affected by a small amount of anxiety, it was enough to influence his thought processes.

...

"Alright! I will use my Snipe skill and take out some of the barbarians. Hopefully, they will notice their comrades fall, resulting in massive confusion. Megumin, you have one shot at clearing them all out including the leader! Wiz! Darkness! stand in front and try to slow them down."

Kazuma proceeded to mount his armed bow, firing off arrow after arrow in rapid succession

"Snipe! Snipe! Snipe!"

The arrows were finding their targets, everyone could distinctly notice several barbarians crumbling and collapsing onto the dirt.

However, he had overlooked a major detail.

It was because they were brutes. That was why the strategy was ineffective.

Sure, while a surprise strike towards an organised, professional army would leave them perplexed at their fallen comrades, granting a small window of opportunity as they recovered their bearings. These barbarians were anything but organized. Rather, they were like a pack of wild dogs chasing for a single bite of juicy steak. It had never mattered to them that their buddies beside them perished in combat.

By far, this has been Kazuma's weakest attempt at strategy. Everything had been rashly put together to complete the quest as fast as possible. Something was affecting Kazuma and it was definitely more than just mere anxiety issues.

For the first time, Megumin and Darkness did not heed Kazuma's instructions. Instead giving each other a nod in understanding before breaking off into their formations.

It was the classic formation in the rule-book. The damage dealer behind with the valiant tank in front.

Much to Kazuma's and Wiz's surprise, Megumin began her chanting without any of Kazuma's input.

However, it was not a chant that Kazuma was usually accustomed to.

"Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark, I beseech the alignment of the constellations, combine with my deep crimson fire. The dawn of new light come fourth. Justice, carried upon the comets of the cosmos. Align now as an intangible distortion! I desire for my torrent of power a destructive force: A destructive force without equal! Reduce the whole of all creation to ash! Explosion!"

...

There was no visible explosion, instead twelve crimson red orbs the size of her head were mystically conjured, orbiting around Megumin, radiating with an intense heat if one gets too close. Shooting her hands out, directing the fiery glowing balls in a volley towards the charging horde, as if showcasing its destructive capabilities.

The crimson orbs self destructed on impact, creating a chain of lesser explosions. Reducing the brutes to mere ashes, while leaving nothing notable behind other than smoldering craters.

The fight seemingly over before it had even began, leaving Kazuma in utter disbelief at Megumin's stellar performance.

"Megumin! How did you...?"

...

"Hmph, while you were having your lovey-dovey time with Aqua, both of us had been honing our skills with kill quests. Thus giving me the great opportunity to augment or create even more explosive magic! On a side note, this condensed explosive spell allows me to cast it three times a day before I fall."

Megumin beamed triumphantly at Kazuma before continuing, the smug look of hers refusing to disappear.

"Anyways, Darkness too has improved tremendously!"

...

"Look! there's more!"

Wiz pointed her fingers at another horde coming in hot from their right flank. Prompting her to release an ice spell, creating deadly spear like hailstones that skewered the barbarians on contact. Unfortunately, they were not enough to slow down the advancing mob. Their beefy muscular builds implied high Strength stats, which would mean high vitality and resistance.

The difficulty of the quest combined with Kazuma's greed had backfired on them.

...

Darkness didn't care.

She leaped directly in front of the mob of barbarians, tanking several hits from their aggressive swings before drawing out a sword of her own. Parrying the strikes gracefully and forcing several of them back despite their daunting figure, eventually creating adequate space for her to take up her fighting stance.

She placed both hands on the pommel, leveling it with her waistline, perpendicular to her body. Meanwhile, her eyes were darting across those of the barbarians, preparing to exploit a weakness by mounting a quick and precise offensive.

The barbarian on her left moved in first, followed by the one on the right.

But Darkness was faster.

She swerved her body sideways, dodging his clumsy swing before spinning back and running her blade through the barbarians chest. Sliding it off, Darkness retrained her gaze at the barbarian on the left, instantly ducking downwards and narrowly missing the cleave from his axe. Peeling off the sword from the wounded target, she thrust her sword upwards at the barbarian's abdomen, stabbing him.

Darkness seemed to be enjoying the seemingly orgasmic treatment, but Kazuma's mouth was just gaping in pure awe at her combat prowess.

"You all can hit on me Ueegh...but don't overdo it please!"

...

"OH MY GOSH DARKNESS CAN HIT STUFF!"

With the valley finally cleansed of vicious, cruel and sadistic barbarians, all that was left was to retrieve the banner from within the encampment.

 _At last I can finally finish this quest, take my money and bring Aqua for that vacation I had promised her._

They trudged towards the front gates, stopping to meet a lone figure which stood at its center. While he was donning the traditional barbarian armor, his hand held a weapon that the three of them were unable to distinguish.

While the sword looked similar to that of a middle eastern Scimitar, but it had a more junky theme to it. On the side of the blade was a small gun barrel extending all the way down to the rain guard. The cross guard was a giant hollowed out rusty gear with burning amber at its center. Its brightness relative to the speed of which the gear rotates.

 _This guy and his sword means business._

Kazuma gingerly laid an exhausted Megumin onto the ground, scanning the surroundings for any sign of traps. He then proceeded to draw out his sword and take up an aggressive stance.

"Your reign of terror is over, move over and hand us the banner."

The burly figure directed the tip of the weapon towards Kazuma, muttering two words that sealed his fate.

"Ashbringer, Incinerate."

The world went black.

...

...

(Play the music video above, if your feel that you are reading it too slowly, use this link:  watch?v=7qtQBzGbPEI)

"Back here again huh?"

 _Why did I have to die?_

 _Of all times, why now?_

Kazuma opened his eyes, unveiling a beautiful girl with long silvery hair, and blue eyes wearing a loose white Hagoromo seated directly opposite him.

"Welcome again, Satou Kazuma to the afterlife."

"Yes I am familiar with this place."

Eris being the ever benevolent goddess, was greatly disturbed by the tinge of regret embedded within his voice.

"If it lessens your burden I wouldn't mind listening to your problems?"

...

"Firstly, tell...me how...did I die."

Despite Kazuma's best efforts to hide his sorrow, he could not help himself from stuttering mid sentence.

"Well, the sword of the chieftain was capable of releasing searing hot ash clouds through the gun barrel. You were burnt alive before you hit the ground."

...

Kazuma slumped against the chair. For some weird reason, spontaneously letting a reassuring grin edge onto his face.

...

Eris bright smile was enough to calm Kazuma down a little.

"I shouldn't have accepted this kill quest. I broke a promise because of my need for money."

Eris left her seat and closed the distance until she was directly in front of him, tilting her head inquisitively at Kazuma's remark.

"What promise?"

Kazuma looked at Eris in the eye, allowing himself to embrace a wave of melancholy. Once again plastering the look of anguish across his face.

"A promise I made to Aqua."

"After all."

"Aqua is pregnant with my child."

...

...

...

"AQUA-SAMA IS PREGNANT?"

Eris face went as white as her hair, her hands making their way to her chest. Seemingly suffering a cardiac arrest purely out of shock. Taking some time to regain her composure, she was overwhelmed by an enormous wave of curiosity. However, she made the decision to put her questions on hold after scanning Kazuma's sullen expression again.

...

"Yea, and the fact was that I was unable to return to them safely meant that I broke our promise."

...

"I just wanted her to be happy, as a result I became greedy and picked the hardest quest without even questioning my own abilities, or the abilities of my team..."

Kazuma arched his back forward, staring at what seemed like clear viscous fluid splattering against the checkered flooring.

 _Were those my tears?_

 _Guess its over huh?_

 _Just like that._

 _..._

Eris gave a gentle tap on his shoulder, bringing her into his attention.

"I am sorry for your loss, but I have many other souls to attend to... We all have to move on..."

Kazuma lifted his head up at her in response, bloated with regret and ready to accept fate's cruel punishment.

 _Lets get on with it then._

 _..._  
 _..._  
 _..._

 _A sharp voice pierced the tranquil silence._

 _If memory had served me well, it was the type of voice that drove countless people insane._

 _But_ _It was a voice I recognized anywhere._

 _..._

"HEY ERIS STOP DISTURBING MY KAZUMA!"

...

"EH AQUA SAMA?!"

Eris was caught in utter surprise once again.

"YEAH ERIS THAT'S RIGHT! ANYWAYS KAZUMA..."

"DON'T DIE HERE YOU HEAR ME OR I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! I WILL GO INTO THAT GODLY REALM AND KILL YOU AGAIN FOR THIS TRANSGRESSION."

A pillar of blinding light slammed onto his seat, forcefully dragging him towards its radiant source.

Kazuma found himself smiling in what felt like a lifetime ago.

...

...

As Kazuma's eyes fluttered open, greeted only by the faces of his three female compatriots gazing down at him. Kazuma's head was lying neatly against Aqua's lap cradled within her arms, his body against the soft strands of grass.

Darkness cleared her throat, being the first to speak.

"We managed to drag your corpse and Megumin's limp body quite a fair distance away while Wiz was engaging the barbarian chieftain, suppressing him from range. In order to resurrect you, I took the carriage back to rendezvous with Aqua. God only knew how broken she felt when I broke the news to her. Anyways, his sword is too powerful and we can't take him on at our current state."

...

Wiz nervously spoke next, her voice was barely audible but was riddled with anxiety.

"I managed to pin the chieftain to the wall with my Ice spells. But I don't think they will be able to last any longer."

 _What should we do?_

 _Kazuma?_

...

Kazuma's state prevented him from speaking properly. Only a soft murmur was allowed to escape from his lips.

"Thank you Darkness, Wiz."

...

Kazuma's eyes darted to Aqua's teary ones, greeted by the pair of cerulean orbs he had missed so much. He weakly reached up for Aqua's wet cheek, stroking it delicately. Missing the feeling of her skin against his own.

"I am...sorr..."

...

Aqua slapped Kazuma's hand aside, violently grabbed his Lapel and pulled his face up; Forehead colliding into hers. Despite her angry bulging eyes separated apart by mere distance, the sadness behind them felt more overwhelming for Kazuma than anything else.

"BAKA DONT APOLOGISE ANYMORE YOU STUPID NEET!"

Her voice was hoarse from all that crying, all those tears.

"I wanted to give you more... Guess I was too greedy huh?"

Aqua did not respond to Kazuma's question, prompting Kazuma to continue.

"Aqua..."

Kazuma's voice was soft and raspy, it reeked of much pain and anguish. Which was enough to send sharp needles deep into Aqua's heart. Seeing Kazuma; Her dear companion in such a pitiful state was simply too painful to bear.

...

Eventually releasing his lapel from her grasp, She gingerly rose from her kneeling position after laying Kazuma's limp body against the grass, turning around to direct her anger towards the barbarian encampment.

Everything was in slow motion.

Everything was too surreal.

...

Aqua's fists were clenched, her back facing Kazuma.

"Spare me ... That brute is out there... He reduced you to such a sorry state... I will never forgive that monster...as much as I will never forgive you...!"

...

 _Witness the tempest of the Goddess._

 _..._

Aqua rose up from her kneeling to face the the direction of the encampment, conjuring her staff and Raiment out of thin air and hoisting the staff upwards towards the very heavens. The ground shuddered as she merely consolidated her power. Followed by a vibrant blue aura and permeated through her skin, coating her in a sort of soothing mystical veil. The sight was beautiful; Unlike the likes of which he had ever seen before.

The power of a goddess embedded within her voice felt real.

...

 _Disappear_.

...

 _The swift downward motion from her staff._

 _Felt like the movement of a colossal tidal wave._

 _..._

"SACRED!"

...

"CREATE!"

...

"WATER!"

...

The barbarian chieftain feeling something amiss, turned his head upwards only to be greeted by his inevitable demise.

He probably didn't even have the time to note his final words.

...

The world plunged into a transient silence, forfeited by a torrential blast of water that descended from the heavens themselves, delivering a thunderous crackle upon impact, with force and power shaking the very foundations of the earth. Any form of terrain within the proximity of the target zone was churned inside out, creating dozens of massive fissures that lead towards the base of the valley, effectively guiding the water downwards as they were carried bits and pieces of the encampment along with them. It was as though the contents of a half digested garbage were flushed down the toilet, back into the sewers where they belonged.

...

 _The goddess's rage._

 _The goddess's power._

 _The goddess's love._

 _Births a strength so great that transcends the entirety of creation._

AN1: Congratulations on following me to the halfway mark! I could only say so much to thank you all for your constant support throughout this journey. DO PLEASE LEAVE A VOTE AND A REVIEW (Negative but constructive or positive) as they give me motivation to write better stories for you guys :)

AN2: One thing I didn't like about the anime was that the characters except Kazuma did not gain any sort of development in their combat skills, so I decided to correct it here. Hope it was a good decision.


	7. Resurrect

_"When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place."_

 _..._

The traders and merchants along the nearby trade route held their breaths in amazement.

It resembled an enormous pillar of water emerging from within the atmosphere itself, majestic and magnificent. Its descent upon the source of their collective fears felt like god's divine wrath, creating violent aftershocks that sent people sprawling on their knees, yet it did little to deter these folk from the awe-inspiring sight. After all, no other feeling in the world beats having all your anxieties doused away in one fell swoop. The wave of bliss that sweep across the columns of traders was nothing short of rejuvenating, inciting them into a panicked frenzy, charging across the landscape, eager to meet their newfound heroes.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the group of five within the valley. Grief and fatigue were only few of the negative emotions they were experiencing as they trudged back to the carriage. A result that stemmed from a series of unfortunate events chained in rapid succession.

To Kazuma, everything felt nothing more than a nightmare.

 _Was this karma?_

With no banner and no legendary sword to return to the Guild master, meant no rewards to collect. On top of that, Wiz would have no food on the table once again.

Everything made worst upon realizing the amount of time, effort and energy invested into the quest was all for naught.

...

Kazuma glanced at Aqua, deeply concerned over her state of mind. Deep down inside, he knew that Aqua's anger was just a front to mask her real feelings.

Or rather, that was what he was hoping for.

Its unnatural for such an all mighty Goddess to expose their vulnerabilities willingly. Such circumstances were rare, often unheard of.

Aqua glanced across as Kazuma, catching hold of his sight but said nothing. Instead immediately pouted her lips in irritation and swerving her head away from Kazuma, proudly displaying her discontentment.

 _Guess she isn't lying._

 _Guess I have to make for that somehow._

...  
...

"Hey! Its them!"

The shouts of jubilee brought Kazuma and the rest upright, jerking their heads around in bewilderment. Only to be greeted by a massive congregation of what seemed like traders and merchants alike, along with their overloaded caravans.

They were streaming in from all directions, the sheer mob of people refusing to stabilize.

...  
...

Unfortunately, the uproar was too much for him to swallow, making Kazuma dizzy from the overwhelming, deafening applause and praise that erupted before them.

As he gradually regained his bearings from what felt like migraine, he took a good look at his team members, individually observing each of them.

Aqua forever acting high and mighty, waving her hands as though she was some famous celebrity greeting her fans.

Wiz the ever shy necromancer, politely acknowledging their cheers with a genuine smile plastered across her face.

Darkness who was carrying a lethargic but barely functioning Megumin, held up a thumbs up and grinned widely at the crowd in unison.

"Thank you so much!"

"You guys are heroes!"

"Thank you for freeing us."

Everyone was soaking in their newfound glory, seemingly able to put the awful memories of the quest behind them.

Except a lone disorientated Kazuma that shied away from the limelight. Standing behind the four of them with arms buried deep in his pockets. With a look of guilt etched onto his face.

 _Truth to be told, I rather sing praises along with the crowd._

...

...

...

They had arrived at Axel around the brink of twilight. After meticulously checking the physical condition of the party, Kazuma prompted them to return to the house first while he alone would turn in the completed quest. Feeling extra terrible for the events, Kazuma invited Wiz to stay for dinner as a sign of apology.

 _It was the least he could do._

His legs were pretty much gone, hence he made the choice of taking the carriage afterwards.

...

 _If they were remotely nice, perhaps we can get a small portion of the reward..._

 _Probably not... Its just wishful thinking._

 _..._

"Pity, you couldn't retrieve the banner or the sword. Now we would have no proof of your accomplishment Kazuma."

Kazuma glanced at the guild master across the counter-top. His deep forest green eyes seemingly cold and heartless, devoid of life.

...

...

Luna broke her pitiful expression, replacing it with a reassuring smile.

"But lucky for you, the number of merchants sending in witness testimonies were astounding. Since they were the most affected by the barbarians rampages, I would say that is enough proof to cement your completion of the quest."

...

"Huh?"

Kazuma's baffled response would have to wait, as Luna was already in the backroom digging out bag after bag of Eris.

...

Kazuma was beyond dumbfounded at Luna's response as countless amounts of wealth flooded the counter-top.

It was more than what Kazuma could have ever imagined.

However, Kazuma did not give away even the slightest bit of joy at his accomplishment.

Rather, it was impossible for him to.

After all, it was his lust for money that endangered his party to begin with.

Was he supposed to seek satisfaction from the very same vice that drove him to near insanity?

...

Everything felt episodic and turbulent; Kazuma seemingly tossed around by events that had occurred. At this juncture, it was difficult to even distinguish sadness or happiness. Or rather, he did not know what to feel anymore.

 _All this money, but not a least bit satisfied?_

...

Luna was puzzled at Kazuma's underwhelming reaction. After all, it was a first for her to watch an adventurer so depressed after being awarded with such a hefty sum of money. Nevertheless, she decided to help Kazuma load the sacks onto the carriage, evading the questions invoked by her curiosity.

"Well, these wealthy merchants were rather assertive, deciding to fight against the guildmasters for withholding your rewards. Of course the pressure was too great, leading us to compromise our decision. Thus we would be granting you the full reward of the quest itself. They have also sponsored another hundred percent of the original amount. Make that twenty four million Eris for your hard work. My, at this rate you are probably going to become the richest man in Axel."

A weak grin managed to escape Kazuma's lips, muttering a few audible words of gratitude before his departure from the guild house.

 _..._

Needless to say, all the girls were dancing with joy at their payouts. Pooling together a huge sum of money to invite a highly decorated chef, one that was able to continuously churn out a ridiculous assortment of scrumptious dishes: Spicy Meat Curries, fragrant rice, crispy and colorful vegetable fry, refreshing soups were only but a few that dominated the dining table.

It was a feast at full force meant for all to be enjoyed.

...

Aqua rose from her seat in a weirdly glamorized fashion, splaying her arms outwards and making a declaration.

 _"_ SINCE I AM THE ONE THAT SAVED YOUR ASSES TODAY! I GET TO CHOOSE THE DISHES! OH AND EVERYONE IS TO DIG IN AND LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND YOU HEAR ME! WE ALL DESERVE IT LETS GO!"

Aqua had already launched her cutlery at the food, madly gobbling down sustenance like some outrageous, unfemale-like, feral pig. Provoking Wiz, Darkness and Megumin to do the same. However unlike the rest, Kazuma's appetite was not even a match to theirs despite his equally exhausted state. His pickings on his plate had been rather poor, prompting Megumin to dump more food onto it, much to Kazuma's surprise. Yet nobody had seemed to notice the paradigm shift in his behavior.

Perhaps he had been hiding it too well.

...

Megumin waved her fork in circles at Kazuma in pure amusement.

"Dear Kazuma... You need to eat more so that you can come up with better attack strategies!"

...

Kazuma gingerly swallowed the food and washed it down with his drink. Mustering the best smile of gratitude he could to Megumin.

"Right thanks..."

...

"You know, if something is wrong, please do not hesitate to speak up."

Megumin managed to unveil Kazuma's pokerface, much to his surprise.

"No thanks, I rather not break the occasion."

"It has been 22 weeks since then..."

Casting that spell alone use had left her more drained than she was usually accustomed to. On top of all that, her pregnancy had only served to aggravate her physical fatigue.

Aqua turned herself away from the calender, gingerly removing her hairband before untying her hair, brushing it down ever so slowly to release the tense locks. Adjusting herself such that her back was leaning against the bedframe, while her legs tucked away under the covers. Aqua proceeded to lower her head, meticulously inspecting her belly. If memories of human biology served her well, this size would indicate the halfway mark.

"This little baby, I swear I will punish it good for causing me so much trouble. Then after that I will punish that Kazuma for impregnating me...Oh I forgot to tell him something."

Aqua jokingly mused at herself.

...

"You were saying?"

The familiar voice made Aqua leap up in surprise. Turning around, she was greeted by the last person she'd expected to see in her room of all places.

"Yo..."

Aqua's eyes narrowed, gleaming darkly at Kazuma without realizing the melancholy that was plaguing him.

"If you want another baby you would have to wait another twenty weeks... Even so I wont make it easy for you to get one..."

...

Kazuma said nothing, instead settling himself onto the side of Aqua's bed, much to Aqua's surprise.

"Kazuma, I am really tired and I would like to go to bed now..."

Aqua was wincing but Kazuma refused to budge.

He had to tell her everything.

"You said you were really angry with me today, and I am really sorry for making you so worried. For coming so close to break the promise I had made."

...

Aqua's eyes moistened up as the tragic memories of Kazuma's apparent death flooded back into her mind.

"Baka Kazuma... Is that all you have to say for yourself..."

...

Kazuma turned around to face her, ever so delicately laying his palm on her oversized abdomen.

"During that quest, I only wanted to get enough money to relief your stress, bring you somewhere relaxing... I don't really understand the pain of carrying a child but I could only assume that it was no easy feat. It felt unfair that I was getting away scot free while you were shouldering all the burdens.

Kazuma's hiccups were spiraling out of control, jerking his head away from Aqua to hide his sorrow.

...

"But because I was greedy... Because I wanted money... I put everyone's lives in danger because of my own selfishness... I am so pathetic..."

 _Men dont cry..._

 _Men dont cry..._

 _Men dont cry..._

 _..._

"Kazuma, lie down here now."

Aqua's voice was soothing and unusually calm, displaying no evidence of spite.

Kazuma willingly complied, lying against her pillow to face her. Resuming that same position during the night of their proposal.

Legs tangled together, faces separated once again by mere distance.

Her soft hands delicately cupped Kazuma side jaw, her fingers grazing along his cheek. Her deep saddened cerulean eyes studying Kazuma's grief ridden ones.

 _He sure looks more pathetic than me for once._

That little mental remark made Aqua grin a little, much to Kazuma's confusion.

...

His heartfelt confession tugged against Aqua's heartstrings. Her angsty outburst earlier suddenly was so unjustified, so unfair.

Too cruel for her untainted heart.

Part of Aqua felt sorry for the treatment she gave Kazuma at the valley.

She could not bear this any longer.

With one gentle push, she closed the distance between them. Implanting her soft lips onto Kazuma's own, locking him into the moment instantly.

The kiss was passionate, slow and sensual. Their tongues gracefully dancing around while exploring and tasting each other out. Though the kiss initially felt out of place, they didn't care. Both of them were young, dumb and seemingly broken beyond repair, deeply enjoying all the built up adrenaline and intimacy coursing through their veins. Like an overpowered healing salve, its sweetness allowing Kazuma's tangled state to unravel as they progressed further into the kiss.

They separated ever so slowly, foreheads remained touching each other. With deep crimson blushes clouding their respective faces.

Kazuma brushed his lips against Aqua's cheek, inhaling deeply. Catching as much of her alluring lavender scent. Imprinting every detail of her supernatural beauty into his memories. Meanwhile, Aqua moved her hands behind Kazuma's shoulders, tugging him closer.

"Yes you did something terrible today... But we all can overlook it because you are someone very dear to us ... To me. This baby will need you one day. No matter what happens after this, If you can't stay strong for us, at least stay strong for your daughter."

Kazuma's murmurs were mixed with confusion at Aqua's confession, causing her to giggle at his expression.

"Daughter...?"

...

"Before Darkness returned to deliver that heart wrenching update. I went for a checkup at the local hospital..."

It was at that moment when Kazuma was finally reborn into this world. Unable to hide his excitement at his child's very first identity, he instinctively wrapped his arms around Aqua, gently embracing her. With any trace of his previous grievances burned away.

"For you, for her I will be stronger."

They separated again before closing the night with another kiss.

 _Love is marvel in its own right: Empowering people to rewrite their most dastardly mistakes and reforge them into an everlasting blessing._  
 ___

"Port Silasel, we have finally arrived."

Kazuma's and Aqua's eyelids fluttered open, having fallen into a deep slumber during the journey.

The sight before them was simply astounding.

A whitewashed town with numerous clusters of small houses neatly linked together by a network of narrow brick roads. Further upfront, the clear, crystalline brackish waters lapping against the fine sandy beaches. The entire region enclosed within a bay that fend off stormy winds and stabilize water currents, topping it up with the magnificent backdrop of the sunset.

Kazuma could not help but grin with this development. It felt as his dream came to life. it was the ideal tropical beach vacation for the both of them.

The villa Kazuma had reserved for the holidays was the final cherry on top.

The architecture was mainly inspired from those Colonial houses birthed during the rule of the ever prevailing British Empire. It was painted mostly white with streaks of brown hue resembling wood. As Aqua affectionately tugged Kazuma around the house itself, the mini tour revealed a fully equipped kitchen, dining room, a bath room, a master bedroom and a small private swimming pool. The furniture looked fine and pristine, crafted out of exotic materials: Marble, Maple, Oak. The list was possibly endless.

Kazuma was admiring at the villa in pure awe. Back in Tokyo, he'd normally seen pictures of them in history textbooks, but had never been expected to meet such a well duplicated replica, particularly in this alternate world.

 _..._

After the luggage were brought into the master bedroom, Kazuma immediately began the arduous process unpacking while Aqua being Aqua, pranced around the house admiring every whimsical detail of their accommodation.

"Hey! Useless goddess, help me unpack your clothes. I don't want my hands to go through your filthy undergarments."

Kazuma eyes widened upon realizing what he had said. Visibly holding what seemed like Aqua's panties within his grasp in utter surprise.

...

Aqua and undergarments never belonged in the same sentence.

Unfortunately for him, everything after that point was piling up against a slippery slope.

Having Aqua returned to the room, finding Kazuma staring at her panties was the first straw that broke the camel's back.

"PERVERT! HENTAI YOU BAKAH KAZUUMAA!"

Aqua was blushing hard from the scene, ripping her undergarment from Kazuma and placing neatly onto the designated portion of her wardrobe.

Kazuma noticed that Aqua had extended her skirt such that it covered her thighs as well.

"Wow, I didn't expect you to remember at all... congratulations you aren't as hopeless as I thought after all..."

That comment made Aqua's vein burst.

"HUH? JUST BECAUSE I HAVE BECOME MORE MODEST...THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN GO AROUND SNIFFING MY UNDERWEAR! IF YOU WANT TO FEEL THE REAL DEAL, AT THE VERY LEAST BE PATIENT TILL I DELIVER MY BABY KAZUMA..."

Kazuma narrowed his eyelids at her unusual imaginative yet slightly morbid response, shrugging his shoulders casually to dismiss Aqua's rant

"What's with you? Are you saying you desire more? I mean I wouldn't mind a son either. Maybe I can finally experience real pleasurable sex with you as opposed to that drunk mess last time... "

Aqua's overreaction almost sent Kazuma into a panic attack. With her mood-swings eventually escalating out of control, she lunged at Kazuma like a veracious predator from out of nowhere, forcing the both of them to land gently on the master bed.

"RAWR!"

...

 _You stupid goddess, if the landing wasn't soft you could have killed the damn baby..._

"BAKAH KAZUMA... I HATE YOU... HMPH"

...

They laid on the bed for quite a long time, Aqua's arms wrapped tightly around Kazuma while her head buried within the crook of his neck, soaking up his warmth and childishly refusing to let go. Unless her hug was some form of sacred, divine, punishment, Kazuma was left ultimately perplexed by her actions. Yet drawing forth strange pleasure from all the physical contact.

Honestly her ideas for punishments weren't half bad though, at least for him.

"Hey Aqua..."

Her eyes remained forcefully shut, her words barely audible as her lips were planted firmly against Kazuma's lapel.

"Mmmm, yes my dear NEET?"

Kazuma's vein burst at that remark.

 _That's it...Its my turn..._

Kazuma pried Aqua away with an aggressive maneuver, leaving her startled momentarily. Using this window of opportunity to press his advantage, Kazuma speedily laid Aqua onto the bed. His hands pinning Aqua's wrists onto the bed sheets as he resumed the position of dominance over her. With Kazuma firing dark glares of ecstasy into her quivering cerulean eyes.

 _The tables have been turned my dear Goddess bitch._

Aqua could only stare at Kazuma helplessly as a deep crimson swept across her face. Much to Kazuma's satisfaction.

 _She was probably thinking: How is Kazuma gonna violate me now given her vulnerable state?_

Kazuma laid himself next to Aqua, releasing his firm grip on her wrists and gently wrapped his arms around her like bolster. Huskily whispering words into her ear leaving her spellbound.

"For the entire duration of the trip, we are going to be this close to one another."

Aqua wanted to bite back at Kazuma's brazen comment, but the comforting warmth that enshrouded their bodies had made her much to drowsy to rebuke. She eventually dozed off with a grin stretched across her lips, knowing that there was a vacation to look forward to the following day.

...


	8. Repeat

MATURE CONTENT UP AHEAD: I will not prompt it because it breaks the momentum of the story, but the buildup should be obvious enough. I tried my best not to break character and aligned it respectfully with the story. So don't expect super bizarre stuff to happen.

"KAZUUUUMAHHHHH! LOOK OVER THERE!"

An upbeat, jubilant and youthful woman with long, flowing cerulean hair, donning a white summer brimmed hat and a crayola blue summer dress seemingly not older than nineteen years of age, exclaimed in delight to the man in a white T-shirt and dark green board shorts. Snapping him out if his dream-like state, whom eventually responded to her with a tiny grin.

Despite the uneasy weight she carried on her belly. The fact that she was able to prance across the street like a ballerina was beyond Kazuma.

...

Aqua aside, their vacation had been treating them well. Every detail ranging from the scenery to the food, ambiance to service were all a far cry from that Cultist infested area Aqua almost called home.

Kazuma almost made Aqua admitted it herself.

Well almost...

For Kazuma, he was finally finding inner peace during these moments of respite.

...

Aqua's curiosity was deeply invoked by the statue's appearance. To be more precise, it was a large marble statue: An European colonial Naval officer clad in his uniform, holding his arm out as though about to set off a command to fire the cannon positioned beside him.

"Wow, even more historical European-inspired craftsmanship ... Perhaps the town planner was from the world I originated from."

...

"Probably, but it looks so cool!"

Kazuma smiled to himself as he watched Aqua intriguingly poked every nook and cranny of the statue. As she danced around, Kazuma could not noticed how much he himself had grown from the fateful day they met. Sure while she was still an unintelligent excuse of a goddess, her vanity and arrogance are still much left to be desired. Yet Kazuma was not as disgusted as he initially was, instead he had come to terms with her flaws, accepting them as part of who Aqua was.

And weird thing is, he found himself loving her even more because of those flaws.

...

An elderly, male voice disturbed Kazuma's train of thoughts.

"Hohoho... What a cute couple... Would you like a painting as part of your keepsake?"

Kazuma being skeptical of street vendors, was about to politely decline when Aqua barged rudely between the conversation, much to his displeasure.

Aqua was beaming with ecstasy. Tugging Kazuma's hand and pulling him towards the statue.

"Yes please! Come Kazuma stop standing around like a lost child!"

The old man laughed heartily as he returned to his booth, carefully priming his oil paints and brushes. Unwrapping the plastic sheet of a fresh canvas and loading onto the easel. Despite his frail age, his skill in painting was able to match the quality of some renown old masters. His movements were unnaturally fast and precise. Every detail from the amount of paint absorbed by the bristles to the pressure of each stroke was taken into deep consideration. Leading Kazuma to wonder if this was his actual or retirement job.

...

Nevertheless, all it took was fifteen minutes foe Kazuma and Aqua's jaw to hit the floor

The painting was astounding from all standpoints. The colors meshed well together with their respective shades, along with the varying hues added to bring out the contrast between them and the backdrop. Given more time, It could have been no different from a photograph. Satisfied from the finished product, Kazuma paid the Artist the full fee combined with a few tips to boot.

...

"I have painted over thousands of pictures and I'd say this woman over was the most beautiful I had ever drawn. Tell me, are you from around here?"

"Nope, I am Aqua , the goddess of water..."

An awkward silence soon followed before the old man broke into another one of his usual laughs.

"Alright then Ms Goddess ... all the best of luck with the both of you and your newborn as well. "

Aqua was dumbfounded at the old man, pouting her lips in irritation before dragging Kazuma away along with her. Fuming at the Old man's apparent ignorance.

"That Old geezer hasn't met a Goddess..."

...

"Well, you don't even represent a Goddess that well anyways."

Aqua sprung around visibly affected by his insensitive comment, grabbing Kazuma's collars and shook them violently.

"KAAAZUUUUUMAAAA. THAT IS SO UNCOUTH COMING OUT OF YOU!"

Her little tantrum would have to wait, as it was cut short by a thunderous rumbling noise.

The thought of exploring the city rendered both Kazuma and Aqua teething with adrenaline. Having ventured out of their villa without having consumed any form of breakfast beforehand has finally came back to bite them. With only an hour of walking for the hunger to settle in, and for Aqua's stomach to kick up a short fused tantrum.

So that was why Aqua's mood turned foul so quickly.

Kazuma's stares turn sardonic , with his lips curled into an evil grin. Almost as though he was about to assert some sickening form of dominance over her.

"So...you are hungry my dear Goddess..."

Aqua lightly clutched her over-sized tummy, nodding her head and whimpering in pity.

...

...

...

Tucked within the rows of whitewashed houses was a homely diner devoid of any form of tourist activity. Having done research prior to his trips comes with many perks, after all they are able to indulge in Silasel's indigenous cuisines without having to worry about jacked up prices and rowdy, self-entitled crowds.

Its walls plastered with wallpaper fitting the theme of a beach side restaurant with straw chairs and generic carved wooden round-tables. The layout and design was basic, even wavering between borderline tacky. However, the appearance of the restaurant does little to exemplify the quality of the dishes served.

Which were nothing short of fantastic.

Aqua was indulging in her smoked Salmon with wholemeal bread and Caesar salad, while Kazuma dug into a piping warm seafood Gratin.

The ingredients were fresh: Seafood having caught straight off the harbors, vegetables from the inland farms, cheese that melts in your mouth with every bite that left a lingering warmth down your throat.

It was a tear jerking moment for the both of them, crying out words of praise in unison at the restaurant staff.

"Wow this is amazing!"

...

Kazuma loaded spoon after spoon of gratin into his mouth, refusing to slowdown. However, Aqua had other plans as she eyed at Kazuma's dish like a hawk, eager to make away with a bite.

"Heh let me try..."

Aqua's hands were nimble, spinning her spoon between her fingers and scooping out a chunk of Kazuma's dish and stuffing it into her lips. She let off an triumphant smirk, firing sadistic glares at Kazuma.

...

"HEY!"

...

"SKSKSKSKSKSKS."

...

Kazuma was twitching in what looked like spite.

This little bitch.

Kazuma bit back, his fork skewering a piece of bright pink Salmon. Slurping it in and releasing a satisfied burp quicker than Aqua had any time to react.

...

"YOU NEET! THIS CALLS FOR HEAVY ORDNANCE!"

She forked several peas into her tongue, rolling it up to form a gun barrel and firing one after another at Kazuma in rapid succession. They landed onto Kazuma's forehead, rewarding Aqua with a series of grumbles from Kazuma as he prepared a counter-offensive.

With that, the flames of war has been ignited. Both of them began childishly plunging their cutlery into each other's dishes. The battle was grim and merciless, no quarter was spared as they greedily partook of each other's sacred possession. Until one's plate is empty, only then shall the victor be crowned.

Meanwhile, the surrounding customers briefly glared at the two before returning to their meals, not wanting two idiots to spoil their brunch experience.

...

Another highlight of Port Silasel would be the beach.

Distinctly separated into two sections by a line of red buoys. One stretch of the beach had shallow waters and was mainly assigned to beach recreational activities. The other end had a much greater depth, allowing it to act as a harbor for a vast array of water vessels. Since it was midday, the sun was directly overhead but the breezes carried over by the roaring waves dispersed what was supposed to be searing heat.

In other words, was the perfect day to go to the beach.

Aqua stood at the edge of the beachfront, enjoying the tingling sensations left behind by the clear, brackish waters sweeping past her feet. While Kazuma stood beside her, staring out across the bay and into the open ocean.

Kazuma was entranced by the sight before him, filling him with a strange sense of calm and curiousity.

"Its beautiful..."

...

"Why of course! After all I am a goddess!"

Kazuma replied in a half-trance state, his eyelids remaining barely ajar and refusing to budge.

"Not you... I was referring to the bay."

Aqua pouted her lips, turning her head away in disdain, with streaks of pink rising up onto her cheeks at Kazuma's earlier comment. That was when the harbor stretch caught her attention instantly intrigued by the multitude of boats seemingly on display.

"Hey lets go check that out!"

...

"Wait a while longer, please..."

Aqua being as impatient as ever encircled her fingers around Kazuma, whom jerk his head in surprise at Aqua's action. Tugging him affectionately, they gingerly made their way towards the harbors, against the gentle waves that lapped against their feet, kicking bits and pieces of wet sand as they walked.

"Hey Aqua."

...

"Hm?"

...

"Lets go explore the open ocean, I think they have yachts we can rent."

Aqua's index finger lingered on a chin for a moment as she made her decision.

"Yachts? I don't trust a shut-in Otaku NEET to operate one of those things."

...

"Shut up you useless goddess, anyways I was thinking of hiring a private driver."

...

"Open ocean, its sounds scary."

Kazuma darkly grinned at her once more, craving vengeance for the stunts she pulled off at the diner earlier during brunchtime.

"Oh dear, my Goddess is such a self-entitled bitch, going around stealing food but refusing to compromise when her dear boyfriend asks for a simple boat ride. It was only expected of a Goddess of water to pussy out like a degenerate anyways. After all, what happened to all those endearing qualities you Goddesses were supposed to encompass anyways?"

Aqua was infuriated at his vulgar yet casual response.

"KAHHHHZUUUMAA! I AM NOT A PUSSY! I BET I CAN DO ANOTHER TEN THOUSAND THINGS YOU ASK FOR THAN TRAVELLING OUT TO OPEN WATERS."

...

"Geez, and you call yourself the goddess of water..."

...

...

...

An unusable gruff voice could be heard from behind them, followed up by a series of heavy, intimidating snickers that sent chills down Kazuma's spine.

"Hey pretty lady, is that man bothering you? You can join us instead for a yacht ride instead..."

Both of them turned around, coming face to face to three dark skinned, topless, burly men in oversized board shorts. In all honesty, they looked like generic, narcissistic street thugs looking for trouble.

...

"No, I am sorry, go away."

They were persistent, having grabbed Aqua's hand forcefully, subsequently made Kazuma blew his top. The expression on his face suddenly turning dark and grim, making Aqua gulped in fear.

Turning around to face the three aggressors. Kazuma's grin was beaming with malevolent confidence, cracking his knuckles as though about to start an all out brawl despite his smaller size.

"You want to fight the man capable of subjugating three demon king generals? Be my guest."

I am sorry, its not what it sounds like.

The leader stopped dead in his tracks, snapping his fingers at his two companions to follow suit.

"Wait... You C-c-c-can't be that Kazuma could you?"

Hai Kazuma des.

Those three men that were trying to hit on Aqua were now grief stricken, only worsened when Kazuma flashed his adventurer card at their pale white faces..

"Yeah I am... And this woman here is... THE GODDESS OF WATER HERSELF!"

I am sorry, she is not as great a goddess as you remotely hope she is.

" No it can't be the goddess of the Axis church..."

Aqua was about to blare out her narcissistic remarks, but Kazuma signalled at her to keep quiet. Instead, he just stood there and watched the three men quivering at their knees, unable to comprehend the sight before them. Arching their heads resulted in further escalation of events, allowing them to notice Aqua's baby belly. Instantly, forcing them to back away even further.

"My goodness, you manage to earn the rights to impregnate a goddess? You must have a certain power we mortals only long for... I AM SO SORRY!"

They darted off in what appeared to be a panicked frenzy.

I am sorry, this child was an accident.

Kazuma turned his back against them, purposely encircling his arm around Aqua's own, dragging her as far as she could from the group much to Aqua' surprise and pleasure.

Their hoarse, pitiful cries could be heard from a mile away.

I am sorrryyy...

"So I rescued you again... Do you mind following me for that oceanic ride now?"

Aqua crossed her arms, swerving her head away from Kazuma so as not to get caught in his smug gaze.

"Ummm...NO!"

You little bitch.

Kazuma grabbed her wrist, dragging her along despite her violent protests.

...

...

...

Kazuma climbed into the Yacht first, holding out his hand. Supporting her movement onto the shaky, rocketing vessel. On the other hand, the Helmsman swerved his body to meet their gazes. He was surprisingly full of cheer, possibly even drunk as his breath held a strong tinge of rum.

"Just your luck! The seas are calm today, where are you headed?"

"Just take us around the parts where the view is good."

"Aye sir, hold on tight!

The helmsman tipped his sailor hat in acknowledgement before turning his back on the both of them, revving up the engine, allowing the boat to pick up speed before turning the it out of the bay.

...

"FWAHHHH... The breeze feels good!"

Aqua exclaimed in pleasure. Kazuma spontaneously pointing his finger accusingly at her.

"And I thought you didn't want to be here."

As Aqua was about to retort, the strong winds caused her dress to blossom, revealing her light blue underwear within Kazuma's full view. With his perverted nature slowly seeping in, he began staring intently at Aqua's new undies as she was trying desperately to pin in down.

"PERVERT..."

...

The deafening sounds of the Yacht drowning out her voice, Kazuma only responded by heaving a sigh of satisfaction. Leaning his arms over the stern of the boat, lazily staring out across the open ocean.

The rich dark blue waters shimmering against the sunlight, seagulls hovering in circles while looking for prey, the vast array of dazzling cloud formations taking up a chunk of the clear blue sky and the countless visible waves that were frolicking on the water surface. From Kazuma's point of view, the undisturbed setting of the ocean itself was nothing short of surreal. In fact, the scenery possessed some form of restorative energy, allowing all the stress and tension from almost all the past events to dissipate completely.

"Hey boss, you ought to look after your Misses. She has fallen asleep, and if I go any faster than this. She might fall over the portside. HAHA"

Aqua body was leaning against her seat, her head drooping lifelessly. Perhaps the heat combined with the vibrations of the boat had gradually cradled her to sleep.

Thisw goddess.

Kazuma remarked as he positioned himself next to her, keeping an eye out just in case she falls over.

...

...

...

Cerulean eyes fluttered open to meet deep forest green ones merely inches away from her face.

"Rise and shine you sleepyhead."

Aqua tightened her fingers on the white bed sheet. Scanning around the master bedroom of their villa as she slowly regained her bearings.

"Baka, you were watching me while I slept?"

Kazuma's reply was flat out creepy as he gazed upon her with narrow eyelids.

"Yeap..."

Aqua murmured a quick thank you as she pulled herself up from the bed into a sitting position.

"I remembered that boat ride, the breeze and the glamorous view and I just feel asleep."

"Yea... I carried you back to the villa."

Aqua glanced at Kazuma with what seemed like amazement, but Kazuma's did not say anything. Instead, he scooted over the bed directly at where Aqua was, placing his face dangerously close to hers.

Heh.

Aqua gulped at what could potentially be his next move as Kazuma's lips curled into a playful grin.

"The dress you wore was so thin, I manage to squeeze your butt a few times. I gotta say its the smoothest thing I had ever laid my hands on."

Aqua was caught off guard by Kazuma's brazen confession, immediately letting loose a goddess tempest.

"KAZUMA ARE THERE NO LIMITS TO YOUR PERVERSENESS?!"

"Hey come on, at the very least reward me for bringing you all the way back..."

"Well, for the umpteen time, I can't offer you sex yet..."

...

"There are always other things you could do."

...

"Like?"

Kazuma winked at Aqua, seemingly made up his mind much to Aqua's horror.

...

...

...

The night was pitch black apart from the glimmers of stars embedded within the cosmos. Having night dip in their private swimming pool to end off the day was such a brilliant decision.

How are Megumin and Darkness doing? Hope they are fine.

Kazuma lowered his head into the private pool till half his head was submerged in the water. Sitting onto the submerged ledges that ran around the perimeter of the body of water.

The sound of the glass door sliding open, prompted Kazuma to turn around.

If it weren't for Aqua's slightly out of place baby belly, Kazuma would have died of extreme bloodloss.

Aqua stood there against the sparkling starlight, shifting her gaze away from Kazuma in embarrassment. The crimson on her cheeks were prominent even in the darkness.

"Don't stare at me like that."

But how could Kazuma not be anything but entranced by the marvelous sight before him.

Aqua gingerly removed the bathrobe, peeling it off in such an offending way, eventually unveiling her striped, navy blue bikini she wore underneath it.

Kazuma could only stare at awe at her voluptuous body as she slowly lowered herself into the water. She approached cautiously rather cautiously, cheeks burning with crimson, parking her body directly next to his and bringing up her wet hands to cover his eyes.

"Dont look... You NEET..."

Aqua chastised Kazuma in a futile attempt to calm his raging hormones. However, Kazuma gently knocked Aqua's forehead with his fist, prompting her to release her hands from his eyes.

"If You think this is enough payment for that arduous piggy back ride back to the villa, you have got another thing coming."

Aqua was wincing, the guilt being too heavy for her to bear.

"What else do you want Kazuma! I am nearing my limit and I am pregnant mind you!"

Kazuma smiled nefariously, his eyes on Aqua like those of a veracious predator that had successfully cornered their prey.

"Let me remove it."

...

"HUH?"

...

"Your...bikini."

...

Aqua was so close to having a heart attack, but her guilt over Kazuma's initial suffering got the better of her. Eventually caving in to his demands, she rotated her body around until her back was facing Kazuma's gaze. Just this once she would let him do as he please, of course provided that he doesn't go too far.

"Do what ever you want but make it quick."

The anticipation was wringing the life out of her.

Kazuma shifted himself behind Aqua such that she was sitting on the portion of the ledge directly between Kazuma's legs. As he leaned in slowly from behind, Kazuma left a messy trail of butterfly kisses as he slowly unraveled the knot binding her Bikini top. His delicate presses and touches against Aqua's smooth cream colored skin moistened by the water resulted in highly electrical sensations, making Aqua to shudder in orgasmic pleasure.

With the bra top finally chucked away at the corner of the pool, Kazuma proceeded to move his hands onto Aqua's opulent breasts, massaging it against the water. Her breath was getting raspy, the foreign sensations on her sensitive chest forced her to arch her back, jerking her head backwards in ecstasy. Burying her hair into Kazuma's face and overwhelming his senses with her soft lavender scented hair. Kazuma responded in kind by pressing his head forward, brushing her soft, rosy cheek with his lips, moving down teasingly onto her neck, shoulders and arms. Taking in whatever pleasant fragrance that emanated from her skin.

If it wasn't for her pregnancy, Kazuma would lose every bit of self-control and rip apart Aqua's bikini bottom as well. Forcing her into intercourse within the confines of the swimming pool itself.

Unfortunately, that fetish would have to wait. Kazuma gradually released his clutches on Aqua, allowing her to fall backwards into Kazuma's arms. It had arrived to him that their heights complimented one another, allowing Aqua to fit snugly against him.

"Filthy Kazuma is filthy..."

...

"I know. But it does sucks that I have to wait that long to experience the real deal."

...

Aqua's hands delved into the water, fishing out Kazuma own and encircling her hands around them.

"Well, your fingers sure know how to please a Goddess."

...

"Seems like you are craving for more?"

Aqua didn't reply, shyly burying her head into the crook of Kazuma's wet neck, desperate to end the topic of discussion.

...

"Have you loved anyone before?"

Aqua's voiced her question softly in an almost dreamy-like state

...

"My mom, dad..."

...

"Not that, I mean like... girlfriend love..."

...

An ancient yet embarrassing memory was invoked into Kazuma's mind.

"I used to like this girl in Elementary school, who had promised to marry me as soon as we were old enough to do so. Unlucky for me, I met her with another guy and I must have been so consumed by jealousy, I eventually became a shut-in NEET and never spoke to her ever gain."

...

"Sksk... Then you must have been pretty lucky to run into such a beautiful Goddess like me."

Kazuma wanted to refute her, but could not find it in himself.

Truth to be told, she was beautiful all things considered

...

"I am also pretty lucky to have run into someone like you. After all, I have found a reason for myself to stay here on this plane of existence."

Aqua hand cupped Kazuma's cheek, bringing his head down for a deep refreshing kiss.

...

"Does that mean?"

...

"Can we stay like this forever? A strange feeling of happiness always wells up inside me whenever you are around. Throughout my time as a Goddess, I had never experienced feelings like this before, rather sending off NEETs from japan was just an amusing distraction for me. For the longest time, that was what I felt to be true happiness. Until you came along and redefined that standard for me. If killing that Devil King meant that I would have to lose all these precious things..."

"...I rather let that Devil King be."

...

"Wow that's a change..."

Kazuma was left beyond awestruck at her conversation, unable to find any words to continue his line.

...

Aqua partially separated from Kazuma, this time turning her entire body around such that her knees were on the ledge instead, her arms leaning Against Kazuma's shoulder. Her moistened skin casting a beautiful glow against the starlight as her upper body ascended from the water.

She then lowered her head to meet Kazuma's own, their foreheads touching against one another.

"I love you, my trashloliNEET."

...

...

Needless to say, it was the best holiday that Kazuma has ever had.

Share some love, leave a vote and a review. Keeps my spirits up when writing stories for you guys. Cheers!


	9. Remind

Furrowing her brows in contempt, Aqua repeatedly flipped the pages of the hardcover book in frustration, unable to come to terms with the contents she was reading.

"Change diapers, sponge-baths until the baby loses her umbilical cord, breastfeeding..."

She swiftly shut the book, closing her eyelids in a desperate attempt to prevent herself from turning green. Unfortunately, the book's detailed and somewhat graphical illustrations inevitably resurfaced into her mind. Thereby forcing her to let out a cry in agony. Not long before tossing [The Comprehensive Guide to Infant-care] precariously across the living room.

"DAMN THIS KAZUMAH FOR GETTING ME SUCH A GRAPHICAL BOOK!"  
...

Having been a month since their trip ended. The incurred cost of the vacation had mercilessly bitten away a massive chunk of their spare savings, Kazuma was forced once again to restart the arduous ordeal of kill quests as soon as possible. Alongside him, an overjoyed Megumin and Darkness were eager to display their improvements in combat upon his return. Although much to Kazuma's dismay, he had to leave Aqua at home due to her current state.

Unfortunately for Aqua, she was not left entirely to her own devices. Rather Kazuma had his own set of plans for her, dashing off headfirst to Axel's public library only to return with a dense, heavy book. Endowing it to Aqua with a vague set of instructions.

"You are going to be a mother soon. Please understand what you have to do."

Spoken like a true adult.

Adding on to that, Megumin and Darkness were not prepared at all for the sugary spectacle; Aqua obliging to Kazuma's request without any form of argument was already a huge shock in itself. Furthermore, after accepting the book with both her hands, she proceeded to plant a quick peck on Kazuma's cheek. Leaving both the Arch Wizard and Crusader gushing at their little public showcase, at the same time deep in thought about any possible seductive spell Kazuma had cast onto Aqua during their trip.

Though much to their satisfaction, Kazuma promised to answer their curiosities once the kill quest was completed.

...

Aqua blinked her tired eyes a few times as she brought herself slowly back into reality. Glancing around, her eyes eventually found the clock perched above the fireplace.

"They should be home right about now."

Although it had only been a few hours since their departure. The eerie quietness of the house brought about nostalgic vibes: The chaotic outbreaks and rambles of her guildmates were few of the things she dearly missed.

...

As if by fate, a set of clattering and heavy footsteps crashing from the main door jolted Aqua to her feet.

Gazing behind the couch, Aqua noticed how ravaged her compatriots appeared to be: Their clothing were worn and torn; with visible parts of their bodies covered in wounds or grit.

Yet the Crusader and Wizard remained as energized as ever. Leaving her Kazuma on the ground, struggling to get onto his feet in such a comical fashion; Aqua was unable to hold in her chuckles at the pathetic sight.

...

"BWAH! These Golems sure pack a punch! Its a good thing my explosions turned them into nothing but a bunch of cinders."

Megumin proudly slammed the foot of her staff downwards, loudly proclaiming her merits in utter delight.

...

Darkness grunted in discontentment at Megumin's triumphant exclamation.

"That's not fair Megumin! You'd at least let the golems smash me once with their rock hard fists."

...

"Well, you were to slow to take point... So I had to engage them first."

...

"Fine, Next time I will be faster."

...

Kazuma had enough of their bickering. Raising his hands up, latching onto the back of their necks by surprise, gripping rather tightly and initiating his Drain touch sequence.

The both of them collapsed onto the hard mahogany flooring before they could even retaliate.

...

Crossing his arms once before heaving a sigh of utter disappointment, Kazuma began chastising them with his trademark condescending demeanor.

"Darkness, you were too sluggish today! As for you Megumin, the explosion spell once again incinerated all the loot we needed to collect. You should have used the other spell back at the valley. "

...

"My my my, Kazuma conveniently blaming others. How are you going to be a father like this? ... SKSKSKSKS!"

Kazuma's vein burst at that degenerative comment.  
...

"Hey you stinking Goddess... I doubt you would be any help even if you were there in the first place."

...

Darkness being the first to recover, gingerly assisted Megumin back onto her feet.

"Sorry Kazuma, we were too excited to hear about your holiday experience. As such we were distracted, too caught up in the heat of the moment."

Upon Megumin's convincing apology, Kazuma was about to let it slide. Darkness however had other plans in mind. Clasping her arms together, with mad pink streaks materializing across her cheeks. The blonde instantly closed the distance between them such that her nose was almost touching Kazuma's.

"PLEASE PUNISH ME AS YOU DEEM FIT! I PROMISE TO BE KAZUMA'S GOOD CRUSADER NEXT TIME."

The wide, malicious and slobbering grin of hers combined with all that shivering, made Kazuma reconsider his course of actions. Eventually running out of energy to bother, he nonchalantly dragged himself onto the sofa, laying himself beside Aqua.

"I thought you guys want to know more about the trip?"

...

Those words were enough to rejuvenate those two zombies lying prone on the ground, filling their spirit with fresh adrenaline as they briskly sprang onto the sofa chairs with eager ears.

...

"Wow... How much I wished that I was there as well..."

Megumin was visibly saddened, dipping her head down depressingly. However, A shoulder tap by Kazuma brought her back upright.

"Cheer up, We will go there together next time."

...

"Are you sure thats all you both did? Not any lewd or forbidden stuff...Uegh."

Meanwhile, Darkness's breathing was heavy and raspy, her inner masochist ultimately claiming the moment. Kazuma glared at her in a shadowy, agitated state. Bringing up a finger and pointing it accusingly at her.

"You hopeless idiot, even if I did do any of those things. You will probably be the last person on my mind to tell."

...

"Urgh... Such a mean remark Kazuma."

Darkness then turned to Aqua, hoping for any kind of followup response. While much to her initial dismay, Aqua shook her head frantically to deny any consent towards Kazuma's sexual exploits. However, as the intimate moment at the private pool risen back into Aqua's memory, spontaneously forcing her to turn away to hide her bright pink flushes trailing across her cheeks. This little action of hers suggested otherwise, effectively answering Darkness's question though much to her weird pleasure.

"Uegh, you guys did it even when Aqua is pregnant, are there no limits to your hormones Kazuma?"

...

Kazuma turned to the blonde, about to grant her a piece of his mind.

"You little..."

...

Meanwhile, Megumin was the first to feel it. Their dampened moods from the results of the quest clouded the air with a filthy sense of dread. Being the one held responsible for losing the rewards, she took it upon herself to come up with a solution.

 _Think Megumin...Think._

...

She explosively bursted up from her seat. Cutting through the heated conversation like a hot knife through butter, prompting the three other sullen figures to direct their surprise towards her gleeing figure.

"Why not lets do some shopping for the baby! I am sure it would alleviate the mood, anyways it has to be done sooner or later."

Leave it to Megumin to bolster the morale of their party. A shopping trip was probably the best option for venting their fustrations

Meanwhile, Kazuma glanced at Aqua with a dead cold stare. His arm making her away around her shoulder, forcibly turning her entire body to face his.

"Eh? Couldn't you have went shopping in meantime while we were completing out quest?"

...

"Hey Kazuma! I was studying the book as much as I could. You thought that I could complete the book in less than a day."

...

"Yeah, I found the book in the walkway... You do know its a library book right? Would you ever be so kind to pay for the damages?"

...

"I AM SO SORRY KAZUMAH!"

...  
...

Since Axel was way too small to house a departmental store, they had to take the horse-carriage to another city. The trip didn't take very long, being located at most an hour away from Axel itself.

Unlike many of the towns Kazuma had been too, Capitol City Cherubim resembled that of a modern first world city from the 21st century. The city was vibrant and upbeat from the pop music thumping melodically in the background. Its townscape dominated with large, pristine shopping complexes with large scroll advertisements streaming from their sides, displaying an endless assortment of consumer goods and designer products.

The four of them were awestruck by the sight before them.

The Capitol City Cherudim had always been infamous for its crazy shopping scenes. Possessing a ridiculous track record of consumers having been through its colossal departmental stores. Leaving only with copious amount of shopping bags and shriveled up wallets.

...

The carriage pulled over at a multi-story Infant-Care Mega-mart, seemingly the first of its kind ever established. The four of them eagerly disembarked, rushing headfirst through the automatic glass doors that brought forth a blast of pleasant cold wind. Storming across the unending rows of shelves stocked full of different baby supplies. Kazuma could barely hold back a snicker at their over the top reactions. It was only natural as the experience of shopping in such an exquisite, comfortable environment was entirely alien to them.

...

...

...

Aqua returned from one of the aisles with hands chocked full of baby-suits. Prompting Kazuma to raise an eyebrow at her selection.

"Aqua, why are all the baby clothes you picked blue in color?"

Aqua pouted in irritation at Kazuma's disapproving look.

"What other colors should I have picked... Since she is going to be the daughter of the Goddess of water, she ought to start looking like her accomplished mother!"

Kazuma narrowed his eyelids, nonchalantly pointing his finger towards her accusingly.

"I will probably have even more nightmares if I have too take care of two Aquas. Pick something else..."

Aqua puffed up her rosy cheeks, her cerulean eyes shimmering and bulging pitifully. Giving Kazuma a small window of opportunity to brace for impact.

"KAZZUUUMAH! PLEASEEEE PRETTY PLEASEE.!"

...

"How about this red one?!"

Megumin popped up next to Kazuma, abruptly ending their bickering while suggestively flashing a bright red infant bodysuit.

Kazuma nodded his head once, after inspecting the article with a convincing look of approval etched across his face. Much to Megumin's satisfaction, Kazuma accepted it, folding up the clothing and depositing it into the basket.

"Hmm this looks fine I guess, I really do like the bright yellow accents that run along the sleeves."

...

"Funny, Darkness said the same thing too, guess she really likes yellow."

...

"Clothes aside, I really need the baby formula and some other miscellaneous toys and stuff."

...

"Say no further, I got you Kazuma!"

The burly blonde was clumsily tumbling her way towards Kazuma, unable to bear the weight of baby formula tins on her arms any longer. She offloaded them into the basket like a dump truck. Kazuma was very much amazed that the packaging was not damaged, given the haphazard manner in which she handled them.

"Kazuma! Aqua! Do you need more? I can carry another five hundred tins of those for you both. The weight of the tins pressing against my body ... Uegh."

Kazuma shifted a step backwards, genuinely frightened at the blonde flinging her head around in sensual pleasure. At the same time picking up one of the tins and meticulously scanned the content labels

"Golden milk powder for young, healthy infants. How did you know the brand to pick anyways?"

"Well, apparently this was the brand of baby powder my father invested in while I was still an infant. I figured it would be the best choice for her."

Taking a good look at Darkness's crimson face and quivering body, Kazuma began to feel slightly skeptical about this decision.

"As long as my kid doesn't turn out to be some masochistic pervert like you, why not."

...

Leaving their shopping bags in the carriage with ample time to spare, the group pushed their way through the streets, eventually ending up in another departmental store.

"We will meet back at the entrance in an hour, don't run off too far."

Megumin and Darkness peeled off from the group, leaving Aqua and Kazuma alone. Aqua encircled her fingers around his once both her female compatriots were out of their sight. Prompting Kazuma to pop a question.

"So what do you feel like seeing?"

"I don't know. Lets go walk around and find out for ourselves."

...

All of the boutiques were selling luxurious and pristine goods, unmatched compared to the quality of products back in Axel. Unfortunately, the prices were beyond the roof, heavily discouraging them both from partaking in the joy of extravagant shopping.

Everything was apparently fun and games from this point forth, the both of them scampering across different shops and trying on their vast array of seasonal wares. Kazuma had to make a mental note for himself during their little adventure: Not to stare to deeply at Aqua whenever she reappears from the changing room in some lustrous, revealing dresses.

...

"Kazuma! How do I look in this dress?"

...

"It's nice, I mean the skirt extends all the way to the ankles. Much more acceptable than wearing your common outfit, exposing your bare ass for all to admire."

...

Aqua tilted her head away from Kazuma, hiding her disturbed expression.

"Only a degenerate, no-life NEET like you would stare at me like, everyone else has better things to do than be distracted by my rear."

...

 _No but seriously, you have a lower body that other girls would kill to have._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

One of the shops was able to catch Aqua's undivided attention, much to Kazuma's surprise. Aqua was forced to stop dead in her tracks, abruptly swerving around to face its glass display. Kazuma was coerced to turn his body as well to greet the oncoming sight.

Staring back at them was a glimmering pearl white wedding gown. The likes of which Kazuma had never seen before.

Upon stealing a quick glance at her, Kazuma noticed her deep cerulean eyes were entirely transfixed onto the dress, refusing to budge even the slightest. Her palm pressing gently onto the glass pane with a sense of longing, soaking in its radiance.

 _Damn I completely forgotten about it._

"Kazuma ... When are we getting married?"

 _Can't she be ever more blunt?_

Kazuma murmured under his breath, partially tightening his grip around Aqua's hand.

"As soon as possible."

...

 _At this rate, how am I ever say no to her anymore?_

Sighing once, he gradually released his hold on her. Moving inside the shop for a brief moment before returning to Aqua's side, much to her confusion of his irregular actions.

"Kazuma? What did you?"

...

"Nothing, I was just curious about the shop. Aqua I have everything figured out, just be a little patient."

 _Patience, a quality that was the last thing to expect from Aqua._

Kazuma casually shrugged at his response before catching on to Aqua's hand yet again, peeling her ever so gently from the display glass. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her, his other hand carried a wedding brochure, slipping it stealthily into the depths of his back pocket as they made their way deeper into the mall.

...

With twilight eventually settling above the horizons of Capitol City Cherubim, it was officially time to depart.

"Look! The lovey dovey couple are back from their shopping date."

Kazuma gritted his teeth as he fired a cold stare at Megumin's smug look.

"One more word Megumin and I will slap the living daylights out of you, anyways WHATS WITH ALL THESE SHOPPING BAGS?"

Darkness interjected their conversation, standing between them with a sturdy, fearsome facial expression, bringing up her eyes to meet Kazuma's own.

They were burning with seriousness.

"Do not mind us, our wardrobes are getting empty as more clothes are destroyed during kill quests... Do try to understand Kazuma..."

Scanning the contents of the bags, recognizing the large numbers of sports skins that Darkness wore under her armor.

Just a little bit too many for Kazuma to be comfortable with.

With a suspicious tick triggering within him, the bags felt way too large to contain just mere skins. Much to Darkness's horror, Kazuma delved his hands underneath the bundles of clothing to uncover a much greater horrifying stash...

... Of handcuffs, a bundle of nylon rope, A whip and some other dangerous looking objects.

Kazuma spun his head towards Darkness, appalled by the items before him. However, he was abruptly cut off as Darkness swung her head back once more, letting her inner masochist run loose.

"Kazuma, please... Dont stare at me like... Its so fierce... So painful...UEGH!"  
...

Megumin climbed atop the carriage first, piling up the shopping bags along the way. After which, she held out her hand to Aqua, gingerly assisting her onto the seats due to her oversized belly getting in the way.

"I did try to discourage her but she was pretty adamant about getting them."

Kazuma shoved a dysfunctional Darkness into the carriage before finally locking the rear - barrier. Signaling for the driver to take off for Axel.

 _It has been a pretty rough day._

...

...

...

 _What does it mean to truly be a good father?_

A lone figure carrying a candlelight, meticulously tiptoed along the corridor. Having night arrived faster than expected, and everyone in the mansion should have hit the haystack by now. Yet Kazuma stood in front of Aqua's door, having been hit with another pang of Insomnia. Leaving him wide awake but in a complete disarray.

Sleep just flat out refuses to meet him.

The amount of worries wrecking havoc inside his mind bears the equivalent force of a raging typhoon.

Knocking the sturdy wooden door once, seeking the antidote to the poisonous stress that was consuming him

"Hmm Kazuma, what are you doing here?"

Kazuma waltzed into the room without word, settling on the side of Aqua's bed. Arching his back and slouching his head over with an air of gloominess hanging above him.

"Kazuma, if you don't answer my question, I would have you kicked out my room you know that! I might be pregnant but don't you dare test the limits of a goddess."

 _This unshameful bitch isn't doing me any favors..._

Aqua let off a sigh of what seemed like disappointment, taking her seat next to Kazuma.

...  
...

"It's happening really fast isn't it? I am going to be a father soon, its all really hard to believe. What if I screw up and something goes wrong?..."

Although Kazuma finally found the courage to break the silence, his voice jittery and ridden with fear suggested otherwise. His head remained bowed throughout, distracting himself by playing with his fingers.

...

All this unnecessary, contagious anxiety from her partner was driving Aqua up the wall.

"HUH, Maybe if I threaten you with some severe ass-whooping. Those concerns won't even cross your mind."

Facing her with dark narrowed eyelids. His hands made their way to her face and started forcefully massaging her cheeks from her vulgar remark.

"Yeah, probably cry me to death or something you bitch goddess!"

A tinge of crimson could be seen on her cheeks as he gradually released his hold on them.

"Fine, if I wouldnt convince you. Maybe she can!"

Aqua snatched Kazuma's hand, guiding it onto her oversized belly and gently placing his palm on it. As if on cue, Kazuma felt something amiss. The sensation from his palm provoking some sort of movement from within the baby bump itself.

"What was that tap?"

Aqua could only roll her eyes and break into a giggle at Kazuma's cluelessness when it comes to taking care of children.

"Its called a kick Kazuma... Sheesh you ought to read the books you borrow before handing them over to me! I guess you too have much to learn about childcare."

...

A warm, husky whisper made its way into Aqua's ear, sending chills down her spine.

"Maybe I will get more familiar if I start sleeping with you more often."

A gentle, affectionate slap reached Kazuma's forehead to subjugate his inner demons. After that, Aqua let loose a smirk much to Kazuma's confusion. Walking over to the study table and returning beside Kazuma with an all too familiar book.

[The Comprehensive Guide to Infant-care]

"I have a better idea... Why not lets read this together."

With the couple finding their comfortable positions against the bedframe, reading the book together to each other. Filling up the atmosphere of the room with endless stream of childish insults, heated debates and cynical jokes. Falling asleep in each other's comforting embrace, gallant smiles etched across their lips. At long last, able to accept their newfound responsibilities as parents.

 _You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams._

AN: I had an idea about throwing the three girls into a shopping mall, but the difficulty of the descriptions proved otherwise. Do leave a review! Thanks!


	10. Respawn

The world around Aqua appeared borderline frightening, her vision shrouded with pale white mist and unsettling distortions. Making it worse were her eardrums; Ringing sharply despite the ominous silence throughout the enclosure. Yet, the nightmarish odds strewn against her strangely did not feel threatening by any means, having her hand gripped onto what felt like fingers. The touch felt short, but left a familiar and comforting sensation nonetheless. Allowing a surge of elation to implode within her, knowing that she was in good hands regardless of the conditions she was in.

The presence of her family was all that mattered.

Meanwhile on the other side of the universe, the fan emitted an eerie mechanical whirling noise as its blades spun across the ceiling. Below it, a burly blonde and a petite brunette sat on the sofa, patiently resting upon the return of their unconscious compatriot.

 _Perhaps the anesthesia did their job a little too well._

An agitated Kazuma released his hand from Aqua, pacing about the hospital ward in an attempt to distract himself from the pent up frustration and anguish that was poisoning him.

"Sheesh, damn the doctors for the painkiller overdose. Just look at her now..."

Megumin and Darkness only managed a pitiful sigh at Kazuma.

"I mean, give it a rest Kazuma... Aqua had just given birth. Acting out of displeasure won't be doing you any favors."

Megumin's voice brought Kazuma around, accompanied by the sound of an apple slice tapping against the dish. Rotating the pome fruit, Megumin mimicked the motion in the air once before carving the fruit knife through the apple's rounded surface. At the same time, Darkness reached her hand onto an apple slice on the dish, bringing it into her mouth for a small bite of its juicy flesh.

"In any case, it should not be long before she regains consciousness. Don't fret Kazuma, your wife is stronger than you may think."

Kazuma gradually regained his bearings, settling onto the sofa beside the Crusader and Arch Wizard.

"You are right... There is absolutely nothing to worry about."

Skewering the tip of the knife onto an apple slice, Megumin held it out and offering it to Kazuma. Watching him carefully peel the apple off the blade.

"Troubled from marriage preparations?"

Megumin having completed her second apple, reached into the basket to grab a third. Sliding the blade lightly along the apple surface to peel off its skin; Its firm red layers neatly curling into a swirl before gliding onto the miniature waste bin seated below her legs.

"Yeah I suppose..."

Pulling out the brochure he procured from the fateful shop, Kazuma stared back immensely. As though hoping to gain a moment of respite during such stressful times.

"How are you going to break it to her?"

"Not yet, she has still too much on her plate to handle."

Darkness could not help back a soft giggle, much to Kazuma's detests. Initially assuming her pleasure was drawn from the tension he was experiencing, due to poor self-control over her inner masochist.

"You know, its not good to overthink, just go with the flow. After all, the former only serves to make you panic. Both of us had agreed to contribute the best efforts we can muster."

Kazuma was tempted to retaliate. However, the validity of Darkness's statement made him thought otherwise.

Further idle conversation would have to wait. As a series of audible murmurs could be heard escaping Aqua's lips. Sending an electrical jolt through her entire party as they scrambled to their feet. Scurrying alongside the bed, only to be greeted once more with her drugged voice.

"...Ka...Ka...Kazuma?"

Aqua weakly reached out for Kazuma's hand, grabbing onto it tightly. While her words sounded cloudy and vague, Kazuma gradually understood them as he studied her lip movements.

"Are you alright?"

Kazuma nodded once, cupping his free hand onto her cheek and massaging it affectionately. The birthing process had taken a massive toll on her, leaving her body frail and limp. Yet despite all that, the radiant smile she bore enveloped Kazuma in a strange sense of calm.

"Funny, I should be asking the same thing to you instead."

"Where is she?"

It took Kazuma some time to realize Aqua was referring to their daughter.

"Yea, she is fine. They will return once they had taken her height and weight."

Aqua shifted her hands downward, trying to steady herself upright but failed to do so. Tumbling sharply onto the mattress, provoking Kazuma's distressed state of mind even further. Luckily for her, Megumin and Darkness were quick enough to break her fall by grasping tightly onto her shoulders.

"You idiot! What are you trying to do?"

Aqua feebly raised her finger, pointing behind Kazuma; Currently lacking even the strength to speak. Prompting Kazuma to turn around and face the oncoming figure.

"Sorry but excuse me."

The hospital crib weaved its way into the room, pushed along by one of the many unrecognizable nurses that flowed in and out of the hospital doors. Pulling it up alongside the bed Kazuma and Aqua.

Within it, was Kazuma's and Aqua's beacon of pride and joy.

Nine months of anticipation had boiled down to this moment.

Her beady pupils were darting around with curiosity. Trying to acknowledge the wonderful world she had traversed too.

The tuft of cerulean blue hair combined with that creamy white complexion from Aqua.

The lush dark green orbs from Kazuma.

Everything about her was screaming with beauty.

The first true contact with their newborn will be etched into her parents' memories for as long as they live.

Kazuma could not help but smile widely at the sight. Partly due to a joke Kazuma conjured up inside his mind.

 _She must be thinking, why am I born to an idiot Goddess and an Otaku NEET?_

The nurse meticulously lifted the baby from the crib, endowing her unto Aqua's arms.

Aqua leaned her head down, her eyes brimming with tears of joy as she planted a soft kiss on the baby's delicate forehead. The clear viscous fluids streaming endlessly from her eyes, refusing to show any signs of stopping. Kazuma could not help it either, bringing up his finger to tap the baby's cheek, grazing it affectionately.

Meanwhile, Megumin and Darkness watched from their sofa seats. Allowing a fuzzy warmth to consume them at the sight of Aqua and Kazuma embracing their newborn daughter.

"What would you like to name her?"

Kazuma gave the honors to Aqua. After all, it was only fair that the mother deserved to name the daughter.

"Chomzuma is a good name!"

"How about Joan, from Joan Of Arc; The name of a valiant, heroic and female warrior!"

Much to Kazuma's relief, Aqua did not heed the recommendations of her fellow idiotic party members.

"Kara."

Kazuma was slightly perplexed by her choice.

"Kara? The name of an ocean?"

Aqua nodded her head once, bringing up her finger to meet the baby's own, playfully enjoying the the sensation of her daughter's baby skin.

"Sounds nice, but I didn't expect a person like you to come up with such a pretty name."

Aqua was too elated in her current state to stir up a commotion. Replying Kazuma's smug comment with a grin etched across her cheeks, much to his surprise.

"Satou Kara... Sounds about right."

Everything went to hell real fast after Kara returned to the nursery, with Aqua resuming her old self once again.

Starting off, Aqua's impatience was nothing short of remarkable, demanding to return home while firing tantrums haphazardly across the hospital ward. Too bad the doctors had other plans in mind. Forcing her to stay put for few more days to recover from any severe post-birth symptoms. Kazuma being ever so concerned of Aqua's safety, sided with the doctors as well, culminating into an over the top spectacle that sent the doctors into complete disarray.

"KAZZZUUMAH! PLEASE I WANT TO GO HOME!"

 _Sorry for the commotion dear doctors and nurses of this wonderful hospital..._...

"You idiot Goddess, I would not allow you to fall ill upon return to our mansion with that current crappy immune system of yours!"

"HMPH."

Realizing that she will not get her way, Aqua swerved her head away and pouted her lips in agitation. Childishly refusing to speak to Kazuma for the entire day. Even though he faithfully remained by her side, watching over her well-being throughout the duration of her stay. On the other hand, Megumin and Darkness returned to the mansion after several hours of daily visits. Both of them quoting to have certain important errands to run. Though much to Aqua's annoyance, the context of said errands were not disclosed to her.

Adding a more positive note, many of their close friends stopped by to offer their blessings, during the time at the hospital, donating a vast array of goodies as well to celebrate the birth of their newborn daughter.

While the hampers and snacks were plentiful. The most remarkable gift was still the baby cot from Wiz and Vanir. Having the latter delivered and assembled it at the mansion under the supervision of Megumin, Wiz dropped by to deliver the good news.

"Thanks for letting me in on that quest. I have not eaten a good meal for days on end. Please have this baby cot, while it does not look fanciful, I think it will serve its function rather well."

Meanwhile, A white haired thief bounced jubilantly into the hospital ward, her hands carried paper bags overloaded with snacks and herbal tea packets. Recognizing her at first glance, Darkness sprang up immediately, beaming with exhilaration as she rushed over to greet and shake the hand of the oncoming figure.

"Chris? How have you been?"

"Hi Darkness I am fine! I hope you have been well."

She gazed around the room scanning all their facial expressions before letting loose a joyous, heartfelt greeting.

"Hi everyone, I heard about everything that has happened! Congratulations Aqua and Kazuma! I got some stuff here for you, hope you don't mind."

Aqua was beaming in excitement at all the food stuff piling up at the corner. After all, it has been some time since Aqua disregarded her diet plan; Consuming whatever she found fanciful.

"Thank you Chris!"

The cheerful expression of gratitude from Aqua has left Chris speechless. Unable to comprehend the fact that Aqua had just praised her.

 _It was a first._

Aqua fiddled with the bags, carefully discerning the snack packets. Much to Kazuma's constant discouragement of junk food, Aqua turned his advice on blind ears. Diving her hand into a bag full of buttermilk crisps and gorging them into her mouth.

"Say...You do sound awfully...similar to someone else... Have I met you anywhere else before?"

"Hee hee, just kidding. Its probably just my imagination."

Nevertheless, the days passed by rather quickly. With Kazuma and Aqua eventually returning to the mansion, this time with Kara wrapped up in a baby blanket, cuddled in Aqua's arms. Apparently, Megumin and Darkness were busy with more of their personal errands, having left the hospital the same day but earlier in the morning.

"Welcome to your new home Kara."

Aqua whispered into Kara's ear, brushing it delicately with her nose.

Upon entering Aqua's room, she immediately laid her newborn daughter into the cot while Kazuma watched from the opposite side, marveling at her from above as Kara's curious forest green eyes gradually flickered opened, familiarizing herself with the surroundings.

"She is truly beautiful, half human and half goddess. What does that make her?"

Aqua only shrugged at Kazuma, equally dumbfounded by his question.

"She is our daughter, I think that's all that matters."

Kazuma rotated his gaze towards Aqua in pure amazement at her answer. Despite not being accustomed with the concept of mothers love, she was able to express it flawlessly and naturally to Kara. It then occurred to Kazuma that Aqua understood the responsibility of her daughter's well-being.

 _Kara had made her undergo such a paradigm shift in behavior for the better._

Aqua's low, angelic voice brought Kazuma back into reality. Noticing how her cerulean orbs narrowed with bliss as her lips curled into a grin of satisfaction.

"She's asleep now."

Kazuma could not resist embracing the comforting sense of desire that overwhelmed him, he reached for Aqua's slightly frail body. Though much to her initial surprise, he scooped her up bridal style and laid her gently against her bedsheets. While Kazuma perched above her, their bodies touching, their faces only separated by mere distance.

Aqua's pupils darted away, a rosy blush working its way onto her cheeks.

"You NEET, what are you up to now?"

"Thank you Aqua, for this blessing you have brought for the both of us."

Kazuma's sincere words of gratitude tugged Aqua's heartstrings; Her eyes were almost brimming with tears. Much to Kazuma's apparent disappointment however, she turned her head away from Kazuma, biting her lower lip to hide her vulnerability.

"Hmph... Don't mention it. Carrying Kara for nine months does hurt you know."

Nodding his head agreement, Kazuma lowered his lips, catching Aqua completely off-guard as he laid an affectionate kiss onto her cheek. Brushing his lips to her ear, whispering something that made her shudder instantly.

"Aqua, don't you feel like we are missing something."

"Kazuma, not now please..."

Her response only made Kazuma snicker in amusement at Aqua's cluelessness.

Kazuma's body loosened,while their bodies touching throughout as he plopped himself closely beside her. His hand tracing its way onto Aqua's ring finger, pulling it up into their full view. Much to Aqua's confusion.

"Remember the time you were at the mall? ... I took matters into my own hands."

"Huh?"

As if on cue, the knock on the door brought Kazuma onto his feet. Opening the door to greet Darkness who was carrying a gigantic toolbox and a parcel neatly wrapped with ocean blue wrapping paper. The logo engraved on the side of the box seemed vaguely familiar. After all, it had not been long ago when Aqua came across it.

"Darkness, I will leave her to you. Thank you very much."

Darkness bowed her head, understanding the instructions. Leaving Aqua the only person confused at this conversation.

"Kazuma, what is going on?"

However, Kazuma said nothing. Instead only letting loose a smirk of satisfaction before he left the room, closing the door behind the both of them.

"Now, its my turn."

A couple of hours had passed since then.

 _I wonder what Aqua would be thinking about._

The tightening of his collar snapped Kazuma back into reality. Casting his eyes downward, Megumin was performing Kazuma's last minute adjustments. Priming his tuxedo neatly and adding a white rose into his pocket to complete the look.

"Wow, congratulations Kazuma. Hmm you look like a gentleman today."

Megumin mused in merriment at the gentleman standing before her.

"Yeah, thanks Megumin for helping me with this annoying suit."...

"Don't mention it! Its is kinda fun watching you squirm."

For whatever reason, she could not help but feel a pang of sadness deep within her chest. It felt as though she had lost something important.

"For your future marriage?"

Kazuma could not hold back a giggle at her uplifting remark. Unfortunately for him, Megumin only responded by biting her lip to wring the heartache away.

Without saying anything further, the young brunette lowered her head, giving Kazuma a gentle push on the shoulder.

"Your future is right through those doors, go get them with Aqua!"

The encore was not deafening by any means, due to the small audience here to witness Kazuma's and Aqua's milestone event. It was going to be a quiet Civil wedding ceremony. Nothing grandeur, nothing loud and most importantly: Nothing Religious. Just a few close friends and most importantly: Peace of mind.

Limited Invitations had been carefully given out beforehand to ensure this.

Wiz, Chris, Vanir, Luna, Dust and few others they had gotten to meet during in Axel stood up upon the groom's arrival, applauding and cheering at Kazuma.

On the other hand, Dust could not resist the temptation to start a massive cheerleading session for our young protagonist. Dust bumped his fist into the air. Following that was a chorus of hearty cheers.

"Kazuma! Kazuma! Kazuma!"

"Hold up now, the goddess bitch has not arrived yet... Try to save the excitement for later."

At that moment, the heavy church doors swung open.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BITCH GODDESS?"

Kazuma swerved his figure around, only to be graced by the most elegant lady he had ever set his eyes on.

Aqua's cerulean hair tied into buns such that the veil of her wedding gown draped comfortably over her, hiding her embarrassed cerulean eyes from the crowd. The gown itself was inhumanely white and pristine, creating milky ripples that traversed downwards with each small step. In addition, the dress had left her shoulders bare, subjecting the creamy patches of skin to the awestruck gazes of the audience.

Accompanying her along the carpet was Darkness, watching over her step and cradling their daughter in her arms.

Kara had to be here, after all she was the reason for their love. To finally cement their love for each other, was the wedding.

Aqua strolled along the carpet, carrying a bouquet of roses and taking her spot alongside Kazuma before the pedestal. Their respective hands locked tightly onto one another as they turned to face each other.

Kazuma lightly pulled up her veil, revealing her gorgeous face, enhanced even further by her cerulean blue eyes and the rosiness of her cheeks.

"Like the wedding dress I got for you?"

Aqua turned her face away, but unable to hide the look of conceit written all over her. Not wanting to surrender and bolster Kazuma's ego any further that she already has.

"Hmph its nice I guess..."

Kazuma could not help but let out a sigh of disappointment.

"That's all you got to say?"

Nevertheless, knowing Aqua well enough. It was obvious from her facial cues and experience that she adored the dress to bits.

The elderly priest made his way up onto the stage. Preparing the final touches to initiate their wedding vows. Since it was a Civil wedding, there would be no partaking of any religious practices. Replacing his holy scriptures would be a set of documentations from the government of Axel.

Not that it mattered, if anything a civil wedding was way easier to execute.

"Do you? Satou Kazuma, take you, Aqua, to be your wedded wife to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until parted by death?"

"I do!"

The energy Kazuma invested into that response felt real, prompting Aqua to burst out in a fit of giggles. Meanwhile, the elderly priest rolled his eyes at her childish antics, carrying on with the wedding vows.

"Sksksksks."

"Do you? Aqua, take you, Satou Kazuma, to be your wedded husband to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until parted by death?"

 _This bitch had other ideas._

"Haha...Nope."

"HUH?"

"Oh my god you NEET, you actually believe that? Of course I do..."

"Ugh... Therefore, it is my pleasure to now pronounce them husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride!"

Kazuma's hands surrounded Aqua's hip, pulling her in while her arms laid on Kazuma's shoulders. Pulling her in to firmly establish the birth of their life-changing relationship.

Meanwhile, the chants erupted again, this time even louder and with greater ferocity.

"KAZUMA! KAZUMA! KAZUMA!"

 _A marriage is the union of two souls into one. Merging of the pathways of two different lives._

The post wedding reception was eventful to no end, with unfilled conversations flooding around the entire church. However, the hottest topic of the day was regarding Kazuma's and Aqua's love story; How their platonic relationship transcended into that of an intimate one. Furthermore, no reception would be complete without several trays of snacks and soft drinks spread across a marbled table. Unfortunately for Kazuma, he was left to entertain most of the inquisitive guests as Aqua was nowhere near to be found.

"How did you two develop your relationship till this extent?"

"What lighted the spark in your newfound relationship?"

"What sort of magic abilities did you use, given your poor social skills from being a shut-in Otaku NEET?"

 _I had rehearsed this well enough, just be calm and natural._

Luckily, Kazuma was all prepared for the occasion, about to release a new and improved, revised story to satisfy the curiosity of the audiences. However, Aqua suddenly barged in front of him, eagerly volunteering herself to answer those questions in his place.

"WELL! KAZUMA AND I HAD A ONE NINNN.."

Catastrophic damage was prevented thanks to Kazuma's nimble reactions, sealing Aqua's lips with his own hands. And all the while almost suffering a full fledged, code black panic attack.

 _Or that was what it seemed like anyways._

The crowd was seemingly satisfied from Kazuma's altered storyline, much to his own relief. Just as he released his hold on Aqua, she swerved around in a state of pure annoyance at his lie. About to chastise him for his brash maneuvers. However, Kazuma held out his palm to interject.

"I do not want our friends to perceive Kara's birth as a mistake. Anyway, my story did stay quite close to the source material, just without the drunk part."

"Hmmph, I will have you know that you physically hurt me."

"This goddess..."

Much to Aqua's confusion, Kazuma broke off momentarily to retrieve something from the ice box, hiding it behind his back as he approached Aqua. Flashing it at her with a mischievous smile as she turned around to face him.

"Heh, would you forgive me if I gave you this?"

It seems her nine long months of cold turkey had finally come to an end.

Aqua's eyes glowed like a predator, locked on to the bottle of grand alcohol that was sitting on Kazuma's hand. Without any warning, she pounced onto Kazuma, releasing an animalistic snarl that had the surrounding guests filled with horror.

 _Gosh, it would be nice if you could share it too._

Fun times do pass over rather quickly. Not being long after, Kazuma and Aqua were preparing to settle in for night.

"Wow, she sure can sleep."

Kazuma's head was buried in his arms as he perched above the crib, staring down sleepily at their motionless daughter.

"Yeap, she dozed off while I was feeding her. It was so cute, too bad you weren't there to see it!"

Kazuma rotated his head around, watching Aqua squeal like some four year old child from the bed.

 _Well to be honest, she wasn't that much different._

At long last after discovering some willpower, Kazuma forcefully pulled himself out of the crib's dense magnetic attraction; Tucking under the covers, parking his body directly in front of Aqua lovingly gaze. Their faces mere inches away from one another caused Aqua's cheeks to redden once more.

 _Speaking of four year old child._

"It sure is amazing that you could swig that whole bottle without feeling the least bit drunk."

"It was wine, the alcohol percentage was way to low for goddess like me!"

Kazuma only rolled his eyes at Aqua's gloating.

"Anyways, there is one thing I have been dying to know. What is your real age?"

As Kazuma narrowed his eyelids and inspected her face, Aqua herself could not resist releasing a chuckle.

"Kazumah! I am not some old grandma despite my status of a goddess!"

Aqua then leaned herself to Kazuma, whispering something into his ear that left a wide grin on his face. Plopping back down to her original position only to have Kazuma watched Aqua drifting off into a slumber. While her bright red blushes remaining intact at Kazuma's charismatic twinkling expression and the alcohol that had finally set into her system.

 _Mother, father. Are you proud of me marrying this goddess?_

AN: Finally and we are closing in on the last chapter! Thank you all for all the support so far. To add on, do leave a review as well! This would probably be my last fanfic because I will be starting school soon. But hey, it has been such a fun ride. Onward to the last chapter!


	11. Revert

(Warning: This chapter is Mature!)

No matter how hard Aqua tried to remember, her childhood memories never once returned to her. Everything about her past before her inauguration as a goddess remains a cloudy mess to this day: How she was born, how she was raised, how she was bestowed great power and how she taken up the goddess's chair.

Who here her parents?

Yet, Aqua stared onto the reflection displayed on the handheld mirror, glancing what appeared like to be her younger, cuter self.

The only difference being the vine green eyes that replaced her Cerulean blue ones.

It had been four years since the birth of Kara. Since then, their daily lives had taken a drastic turn, starting off with a seemingly terrible note. It was much to the dismay of Kazuma and Aqua, having lost an important part of their family; Megumin and Darkness have thoughtfully decided to move out. Settling into their own separate homes so as to grant more room space for Kazuma's family.

Thankfully, they relocated to an apartment in Axel not far from the mansion. House visits were common and they still shared hearty evenings together; Conversations over the classic food and drink still remaining a strong culture to this day.

There were many beautiful moments shared between the duo and Kara as well, birthing memories that were etched deep into their mind. It was a couple of months ago. Once Kara was able to speak fluidly, she immediately acknowledged both Darkness and Megumin as her aunts in her most delicate, honeyed voice of a toddler.

Adding on, it should come to no surprise that the greatest changes takes place within the family itself.

Kazuma being the healthy male of the household, is required by tradition to take up the mantle of fatherhood. As such, Kazuma was the new sole breadwinner of this family. Venturing into kill quests alongside Megumin and Darkness while leaving Aqua at home to babysit their daughter.

Life was not necessarily all fun and games either. Arguments and childish bickering do occur from time to time. However, Aqua and Kazuma were still young in mind, heart and body, thus having ample time and space to pick up essential parenting skills. After all, successful parenthood had always stemmed from experience. Mistakes through such a process were ultimately inevitable, leading to fights and quarrels from time to time. That being said, they must allow their mutual love to mend and heal wounds inflicted by their mistakes.

And their love prevailed, so has their relationship.

...

...

"Ouch, mom its a little too stiff."

Kara's childlike squeal shifted Aqua's attention back unto reality.

"Oh sorry Kara."

Stifling a giggle at Kara's outburst, Aqua placed the handheld mirror on the dressing table, retracting the brush from Kara hair, not long after using her hands to give it a few gentle flops to release the tension. The four year old sat rather patiently on Aqua's lap, motionless and upright throughout allowing her mother to dress her hair.

"Your hair is still a little wet, we would have to let it set for a little while longer..."

Kara rolled her eyes at her mother. Luckily for her, the mirror was out of the way. Hence Aqua was unable to catch sight of her daughter's rude gesture.

She turned her head inquisitively to meet her mother's gaze.

"Mom, why are you so concerned about how I look."

...

"Well, you should look your best when going out."

An agitated Kara pouted her lips in frustration, not being able to comprehend the reasons for such a seemingly extreme makeover.

"But Daddy said he is bringing me on a kill quest."

Thats right, today was the first in a long time Aqua would be going on a kill quest with the rest of her party. Of course, Kara would only be there as well, purely just as a spectator and not participating in actual combat.

Meanwhile, Aqua could only manage a sigh at Kara's brashness.

"You can't leave house without looking prim and proper Kara."

Aqua picked up the hairbrush, towing it down against her cerulean locks of hair. This time experiencing little to no resistance as the messy frills straightened out.

"There you look amazing Kara!"

Finishing up her handiwork, Aqua slotted a hair pin of a water molecule through a shaft of hair to form Aqua's own trademark hairstyle. With her work now completed, Aqua hoisted the mirror again in the air, casting the reflection of their faces onto them.

Asides from the vine green eyes and age difference, one could argue that they were clones.

On the other hand, Aqua was beaming at her daughter with pride.

"Ah you look just as accomplished and cool as I am!"

...

"Mommy is boring... Daddy is cooler because he kills things for money."

Aqua's head nearly popped in fury at her brazen comment.

...

"Hey your mommy is goddess, that makes you a half goddess!"

Kara stared back at her mother at confusion give her choice of words. Folding her arms and sternly shooting forth a look of disapproval

"Mom you are not funny at all..."

Aqua's face whitened in pure horror.

 _Even my own daughter doesn't believe me._

 _..._

"Now I know your mom isnt the most pleasant person. Even so, please be nicer to your mom."

Aqua threw Kazuma a look of disgust, much to his sadistic pleasure.

"Hey! Thats crude!"

Nevertheless, the sight of Kazuma entering the room brought Aqua a joyous smile upon her husband's return. Eagerly shifting young Kara from her lap to her feet, Aqua slipped behind Kazuma, pulling her arms over her shoulders and hugged him from behind.

It has been a long morning for Kazuma as well, having inhaled his wife's fresh lavender scent rejuvenated his worn out, physically exhausted body.

Aqua could not help but tilt her head, burying a kiss onto Kazuma cheek.

"Ew, thats dirty."

...

"Sksksks! One day you will understand Kara."

...

"I will never get a boyfriend, boys have cooties."

Kazuma could not resist letting out a laugh at Kara's kiddish response. It was overwhelmingly cute given her girlish, squeaky voice. Kneeling down, Kazuma's vine green orbs stared into what seemed like his own. His hand affectionately furrowing he soft cerulean hair.

"Hey, wanna see daddy take on a mighty beast today?"

Kara's eyes were glowing with excitement. Looking forward to her father figure show off his seemingly breathtaking combat skills for the first time.

"Yes papa!"

...

"You will definitely regret it if you don't administer the help of an arch priest!"

...

"Mommy can fight too?"

...

Kara was genuinely amazed. While Kazuma lips curled into a condescending grin, casting a pair of traditional, doubtful eyes of judgement onto Aqua.

"Yeah she can, unbelievable isn't?"

"Kazuma... If you keep on doubting me... I am going to leave you at Eris's dimension if you die!..."

...

Kara leapt to her father, clinging on to Kazuma's pants tightly from the aforementioned abrasive word.

"Huh? Papa will die?"

...

"Hey you little... dont scare the kid."

An evil grin enveloped on Aqua lips, bending down she whispered a sentence to kara, causing her lush green eyes to widen with shock.

"Your father does not have the best track record when it comes to hunting, its usually mommy that has to go around picking up his remains from where he had left off."

...

"Wow, now mommy sounds more powerful and way cooler than daddy!"

Kazuma rolled his eyes, lacking patience to keep up with Aqua's childish antics. Sometimes, he could not recognize who was the real child in their family. He bit and licked his lips in angst, swearing vengeance on the woman who has whittled his pride; The damn woman that was sticking out her tongue at him.

"Sksksksk!"

The nostalgic meadow made Aqua and Kazuma reminisce their first ever first kill quest. Stepping atop the mellow mounds of grass that overlooked the entire sheet of lime green grass, fluttering gently against the calming afternoon breeze. Much to the confusion of a young Kara, her parents sat against the grass, leaning backwards and soaking in the tranquility of their surroundings.

"Remember the frogs?"

Kazuma released an upbeat laugh as Aqua tumbled onto the grass patch, cowering her head in pure terror. Leaving Kara even more bewildered at the scene her mother was making.

Her whispers of fear were bare audible; identical to victims of shell-shock.

"Please... please no...nonononono."

...

"Hey Kazuma! Stop bullying Aqua!"

Those familiar voices belonging to a certain crimson Arch Wizard and the golden crusader, trudging up the slope towards them. Apparently, the four years time gap had a drastic impact on Megumin growth. Now taking on an appearance of an elegant young woman that nearly was as tall as Aqua, with a proportional chest size and slender waist to match. Adolescence had hit her pretty hard, but it favored her preferences all the same.

On the other hand, Darkness had procured new armor to replace her old set. She now bore two winged shoulder plates as opposed to one the last time, a golden, red cape draping from under the left shoulder winged plate, reaching her ankle. Hiding the sword scabbard attached onto her belt.

The both of them truly looked like professional fighters; Forces to be reckoned with.

The two shining beacons of strength standing before Kara had rendered her awestruck. Despite the many house visits, Megumin and Darkness had only donned their casual outfits, hence seeing them ready for combat was an entirely new experience for the spontaneous four year old.

"Auntie Megumin and Darkness! You two look so cool!"

...

"Aww come and give your auntie a big hug."

Megumin and Darkness lowered themselves to Kara's height, each of them placing their weapons onto the grass and widely opening up her arms to embrace her. Allowing a pleasant warmth to course through Aqua's and Kazuma's veins as they witnessed this scene.

Unfortunately, nature has other plans in mind.

The sound of the ground imploding, grassy earth caving into an abyss. Rising slowly to reveal the jaw of a maneater toad. However, the toad seemed way larger than the others they were normally accustomed too.

Rather, it would only be fair to say that the toad's humongous size was an unprecedented turn of circumstances.

Rising from beneath the core of the earth itself, the toad's mere presence towered above the party. Its unusual pale white glistening skin and glowly yellow eyes that stared intently at his four finger snacks just waiting to be consumed.

Having woken it up for tea time, the party was the ones up first on the menu.

...

Darkness was the first to let of a cry in fear, then sudden joy upon a certain masochistic realization that hit her like a freight-car.

"Aahh! Its the King toad, the rarest species of giant toads!"

Kazuma rotated his head from the right to the left.

Predictably enough, Aqua and Megumin were completely locked in place; petrified at the frog's mere appearance.

"Kara, run to a safe spot, go!"

Thankfully, her daughter was quick to react. Having adopted Kazuma's composure at times of crisis; Kara dispersed away from the party. Finding a safe haven behind the rocks near the gate entrance of Axel.

However, she could not help but feel worried for her parents and their friends.

...

...

...

 _Now, the two females..._

"Aqua! Megumin! Remember the old times where we downed the skeletons? The barbarians? This frog has absolutely nothing on that!"

With his speech not enough to shake both ladies out of their stupor. Kazuma was forced to try other radical methods.

...

"If anything! Lets get this done together, go home and get paid. Of course being the leader I get to keep eighty percent of the profit!"

Aqua jumped at Kazuma's upon hearing his statement, revitalized and energetically wringing the life out of him by shaking his lapel.

"KAZUMAH THAT IS NOT FAIR!"

Megumin just shoved her casual passive aggressiveness at Kazuma instead. Pulling the corners of her finger-less gloves in preparation for battle.

"Yeah Kazuma, that is morally wrong."

Kazuma spontaneously release a grin in satisfaction. Finally successful in releasing the chains of fear binding those two idiots.

...

Hopping forward ever so slowly yet destructively, every landing sent forth loud crashes and dirt clouds spewing in every direction. Yet, the Arch Wizard, Crusader, Adventurer and Arch Priest stood beside each other, heroically facing the ominous, malevolent beast that was the giant king toad. The air around them ferociously spun with every tremble, causing their hair and any loose clothing articles to rustle along with the wind.

Kara only could stare at awe at this spectacle point of view, perceiving it to be an inevitable clash of the titans.

The frog made its first strike, lunging to its nearest target: The mighty warrior woman shrouded in gold. Unfortunately for the frog, teatime snacks will not come easy. As the crusader proved to be faster, drawing her sword out and parrying the Frog's thrust at the same time, the clash itself producing a mystical, radiant glow upon impact that encapsulated the meadow.

...

"Oh, blackened souls shrouded in sin,  
Frenzied blaze soulfires clad in darkness,  
In the name of the embodiment of light,  
let the collapse of thine origin manifest.  
Summon before me the light of hope and my very servant.  
The scourge that transcends the will of my very soul!  
Explosion!"

For a legendary Arch Wizard, comes another legendary byproduct; An explosion-type spell of her very own creation. While her right arm held the staff, her left carried a spear of searing orange flames. Drawing her arm backwards to take up a firing stance, she launched the spear at the frog with deadly accuracy. The spear itself was chambered off like an artillery shell, its recoil causing the very ground she stood on to crackle violently. Given the spear's raw power, it was only natural for it travel at lightning speed. Impaling the frog at the center of its abdomen and sending it backwards a good distance away. After which, the spear detonated producing an explosion that expanded into an enormous fiery, aggressively spinning dome, consuming the target and everything around it malicious orange flames.

...

"That thing is still standing!"

True enough as Aqua pointed out, the smoke screen cleared to reveal the toad. The explosion doing considerable damage but not enough to cripple it.

"Megumin, try another spell!"

...

"I can't I am out of mana."

...

"SO FAST?"

Having recovered enough stamina, the toad launched itself into the air. Gathering enough momentum before plummeting onto the ground like a meteorite. The force itself was tremendous enough to shatter the landscape, sending splinters of earth at all directions. Unfortunately for Darkness and Megumin, the shockwave knocked them flying precariously through the air, slamming hard against the city gates of Axel.

Kara watched the battle nervously as trick-lets of cold sweat traversed down her forehead.

"Dad...Mom..."

...

The frog's eyes locked onto its next target, pouncing after the noisy woman with a pink petaled staff and cerulean blue hair.

"KAZUUMAHHH KAZUUMAHH HELP ME I AM PANICKING!"

"Aagh get away from me! You are bringing the damn frog closer to us! Stay calm I am thinking of something you useless goddess."

Kazuma's words fell on on Aqua's deaf ears, unable to contain her fear any longer and started running to Kazuma for dear life.

"Tsk...Aqua, buff me with your luck skill!"

"HUH? BUT YOUR LUCK IS ALREADY SO HIGH, WHAT IS THE POINT?"

...

"SHUT UP AND BUFF ME YOU IDIOT..."

Aqua shut her eyes, chanting a string of words that conjured a glistening light onto Kazuma. Sharpening his luck status tremendously. It was truly shocking that Aqua could run from the frog and cast spells at the same time.

Nevertheless, Kazuma climbed above the tree, arming a bow and arrow. Exhaling deeply, Kazuma scoped zeroed his aim unto the frog.

 _Its brain... Dead center._

 _However, I need it closer._

"IDIOT KAZUMAH THAT FROG IS GETTING CLOSER!"

...

 _At least she's helping me for now, I will still have to manhandle this bitch later._

 _..._

"SNIPE!"

The arrow flew, the curvature of its trajectory unaffected by the elements as it curved towards the Frogs's brain. Penetrating its slimy white flesh and killing it instantly. Sending its dead body crashing lifelessly onto the ground, atop a distraught, exhausted and slightly pissed off Aqua, effectively cutting her off mid sentence.

"OI KAZUMA! YOU ALMOST HIT M..."

 _Ah at last, some peace and quiet._

 _..._

Meanwhile, a perplexed and anxious Kara hurriedly dashed towards Kazuma. Wanting to ensure that both her parents were alright. Having stopped beside Kazuma, she gazed downwards at the toad's corpse, immediately catching sight of familiar cerulean blue hairs sticking out from underneath it.

"Daddy? Isn't mom underneath that toad's mouth?"

 _Shit, I have been discovered by own daughter!_

"Yes, but daddy is resting. I am pretty exhausted and your mom will be fine by any means."

 _Heh I wanna see the face of the bitch once she discovers herself covered in slime._

"Sigh, Kazuma you are just terrible you know that?"

Kazuma was taken aback by Megumin's voice of disapproval. As Kazuma turned around to greet them, he was astounded by how rejuvenated and fresh they looked.

"You guys, how did you?"

Darkness beamed at Kara in awe, while clasping her hands together in a delightful manner.

"Your daughter is truly remarkable Kazuma! She healed the both of us while you and Aqua finished off the king toad."

Kazuma redirected his gaze at Kara, unable to comprehend her feats given her age.

"Mommy taught me how to perform healing magic while you were away!"

 _This useless goddess... she taught Kara recovery magic instead of me back at the stables..._

Upon lifting up the carcass together, an enraged Aqua jumped up at Kazuma, colliding onto him and smearing a well amount of frog slime onto his apparel. leaving a strong and unpleasant odour wafting in the air around them.

 _YOU STUPID GODDESS, YOUR STINK._

"KAAAZUMMMAHHHHH DONT LEAVE ME ALONE WITH THE STINKING FROG LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN!"

"Does mommy usually cry like that."

The three of them, tired from the culmination of today's events somehow managed to nod their head slowly in unison.

"Hee hee, today was really fun! I hope I can watch daddy and mommy go on more kill quests!"

...

"So who do you think was more cool?"

...

"I think both of you are cool! Just that you cry too much hehe."

Aqua couldn't help but pout in annoyance at her daughter's statement. Instead rather then letting her have it, Aqua tucked her little one under the covers, lovingly giving her a few pats on Kara's head and a goodnight kiss before exiting the room.

"Sweet dreams Kara."

...

Upon returning to her room, Aqua sat on the bed beside Kazuma whom was already lying beneath the covers. The latter firing an inquisitive look at her.

"Was Kara happy about today?"

...

An index finger went up to Aqua's chin, pretending to be deep in thought.

"Mmm Hmm. She still thinks I am way cooler than you Kazuma."

...

"Yeah right. I bet she was wondering why you were behaving like a crybaby!"

...

"Hmph! I am not a crybaby."

Kazuma eyelids narrowed, his lips curving into a deadly smile at her bold remark.

 _I missed you._

Rising up from the blankets, Kazuma affectionately wrapped his arms around her waist much to her surprise. Aligning Aqua's body to his, pressing their bodies against each other. Leaning forward, Kazuma then whispered a string of words that visibly made her shudder.

"You ready for your punishment you useless goddess?"

...

"Huh? What did I do you hikiNEET?"

Unfortunately for her, Kazuma was not paying any heed to her relentless insults, with his hands still firmly locked around Aqua's waist. Kazuma shifted her delicate body such that she was now lying directly on him; Facing the ceiling.

"Kazuma..."

"Relax, Aqua it has been a long day for the both of us..."

They remained in that position for some time, bathing in the moonlight that permeated through the windows of their bedroom.

Kazuma finally mustering sufficient willpower, slowly unlocked his hands from Aqua's waist. Thinking that Kazuma's display of affection was seemingly over, Aqua could not resist wishing from the bottom of her heart that it would last longer.

Luckily for her, Aqua was not just getting "a little" tonight, rather Kazuma was insistent that she stayed for the full experience.

It happened all too quickly for her to comprehend, Kazuma's right hand delving under her pajamas top and crawling its way up to her chest, excitedly fondling with her breasts. While his left ventured downwards under her pajamas pants, tracing against the seaming of her undergarment ever so slowly before dipping his hand in the tiny piece of fabruc, lustfully playing with her erogenous zone.

Aqua impulsively pressed her head downwards against the crook of Kazuma's neck, arching her back as Kazuma rubbed her sensitive regions. Her breathing suddenly heavy from the sexual tension coursing through her veins

"Kazuma? Don't please not now..."

Aqua managed to find her words between breaths, much to Kazuma's amazement. Wanting to add fuel to the fire, Kazuma leaned into Aqua's ear again, this time murmuring something that made her shudder even more.

"Wow, you sure suck at lying. Your body says otherwise."

True to his words, the fingers on his left hand were sopping with Aqua's vaginal fluids.

...

 _We have not done this for a long time, please I am begging you just tonight. I really love you Aqua._

 _..._

Aqua eventually caving into her primal desires, abruptly pulled Kazuma's hands away from her much to his shock. Turning her body around to assume the dominant position before cupping his cheeks and firmly planting her lips on his. Kazuma being the gentleman gracefully accepted her gesture, as his arms made their way behind her, pulling her delicate body closer towards him.

Their tongues were locked in a passionate conquest as they tasted each other out. Having shortly run out of breath afterwards, Aqua then peeled herself ever so slowly from Kazuma, leaving behind a string of saliva that connected their wet lips. Despite the darkness, the faint glow of the moon light was enough to fully see Aqua's cute, crimson and blushing face. Kazuma's facial expressions were not far off either; Flustered and reddened to the core.

As though granting his inner demons to fully take possession of himself, held onto Aqua's hips and laid her on the bed, leaping onto her to resuming the dominant position as Kazuma pinned her wrists down with his hands, leaving her curvaceous body exposed for an assault.

Arching his head forward to begin his offensive, Kazuma began gently kissing on every inch of her exposed skin, starting from her forehead and moving downwards from there and enjoying the sensation of her richly soft skin against his lips. Kazuma's actions were further rewarded with Aqua pitiful yet honeyed whimpering.

"Nnngh, What...If Kara..sees this...?"

Unfortunately for Aqua, Kazuma took no heed to her apparent despair, being greedy and wanting more. He swiftly removed Aqua's Pajamas top, revealing a pair of perfectly rounded breasts and bright pink nipples. Massaging and squeezing her mounds before popping her nipples into his mouth, sucking and swirling with them with his tongue. Drawing in a taste so amazing leaving Kazuma craving for more.

"Ouch, Kazuma please be gentle."

Silently nodding his head in agreement, Kazuma shifted his body downwards to her pelvis region, pulling off her pants only to be greeted by a pair of perfectly sculpted legs and a beautiful white pair of panties, the latter slightly darkened from all the moisture that culminated from all the pleasure.

"Kazuma, please don't stare at it too... AAHHH."

Given no time to even say her pleas, Kazuma went down under. Stripping off her panties almost instantly, unveiling her goddess-like, delicate, glistening folds. The view was beyond remarkable all things considered, perfectly shaped and smooth to the touch. Unable to hold in his hormonal rage any longer, Kazuma dived in to suck and licking her thick, cream colored thighs and her perfectly rounded rear. Trailing his tongue movement ever so slowly towards her wet center.

A lap of his tongue, followed by another. Aqua could not resist it any longer, wrapping her legs around Kazuma's head, surrounding him with her seductive scent as he plunged his tongue deep into her vagina, exploring every single crevice he could find all the while coating her nether regions with his saliva. Aqua was forced to arch her back from the orgasmic pleasure that flowed from her vagina; Whenever Kazuma's tongue collided with her clitoris to produce an overwhelmingly electrifying sensation. Finally unable to hold in her floodgates any longer, Aqua experienced her first climax, sending her delicious juices deep into Kazuma's mouth.

"You sure taste as pleasant as a goddess Aqua. Are you enjoying yourself so far?"

Aqua only looked away from him, apparently disgusted by his behaviour. Her face blushing intensely in spite of the odds against her.

"Perverted... Neet."

Kazuma ignored her comment, going straight for his prize. Kazuma removed his sweaty pants and T-shirt from all that physical activity, revealing his member which he stroked to prepare it for what was about to happen.

Meanwhile, Aqua could only manage a gulp, bringing up her hands to meet his, clasping onto them firmly like a lifeline.

Aqua's cheeks were flustered, pulling into a state of worry, raising some concerns for Kazuma as well.

"Kazuma, shouldn't you use rubber. What if I get pregnant again?"

...

"Can we do it without protection, I want to experience the real you. If anything, Kara wouldn't mind a younger sibling as well. And if that happens, I promised to take care of you as I did before."

Aqua only managed one of her beautiful grins, closing her eyelids and nodding in agreement.

Kazuma rubbed his shaft teasingly about her entrance, separating her folds with his free fingers to unveil a glistening, bright pink hole. Not long after inserting it into her with a slow and gentle push, Kazuma could feel her grip tightening around his hand as he inserted himself within her. Prompting him to start off slowly and gradually pick up the tempo thereafter. Causing Aqua to moan in pleasure as his shaft rubbed her swollen clitoris time and time again.

It felt nothing short of amazing for Kazuma as well. Kazuma could not help releasing a couple of groans himself from the comfort and pleasure he was receiving from Aqua's vagina.

Her moist walls that coiled snugly around his member, tightening with every thrust gave off fantastic vibes. Slamming into her rear every few times causing her plump ass cheeks to bounce from each individual impact, at the same time sending sparks flying inside Kazuma's head. Everything about her body was perfect, right down to the finest detail.

To Kazuma, nothing beats fucking her in the missionary style. Kazuma and Aqua stared into each other's eyes, admiring the beauty of their partners as Kazuma repeatedly thrust his member deeper and quicker into her.

 _I am so lucky to have Aqua as my wife. She is just too cute and gorgeous._

As Aqua attempted to lift herself up with her elbows despite the orgasmic pleasure flowing through her being, Kazuma was coerced to lower himself down unto Aqua to close the distance between their faces, silencing her elegant moans and quivers with a passionate and loving kiss. Occasionally breaking the kiss, Kazuma would divert his attention away, suckling on Aqua's breasts and neck whenever he deemed fit to enhance her sexual experience.

Sadly for the both of them, all fun times must eventually come to an end.

Kazuma gave Aqua one final half-hearted thrust just as he reached his limit, releasing his seed deep inside Aqua. Taking him a moment to regain his composure, Kazuma gradually pulled out his limp member, leaving behind a trail of off white semen that seeped from between her swollen vaginal folds. Not long after collapsing beside Aqua and bringing her in for a long, comforting embrace.

"I hope you enjoyed violating my body tonight you stupid NEET."

...

"Well, you were enjoying it quite a bit yourself."

Aqua leaned in closer to Kazuma, landing her final kiss on his lips. Much to Kazuma's surprise.

"I love you Kazuma. With all my heart, I want this life to last forever."

Her murmurs tugged Kazuma's heartstrings, as the memory of that fateful meeting shortly after his death resurfaced into his memories.

 _Aqua has been beside me since the very beginning, following me every step of the way. And now our journey together will make its way to the end._

Kazuma only watched silently as Aqua's Cerulean orbs shrunk in size as she gradually feel into her slumber, prompting Kazuma to follow suit as well. Their stark naked bodies entangled atop the bedsheets, with their fingers encircled together. All the while bathing in each other's comforting warmth and affection.

 _A great marriage is not when the 'perfect couple' comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences._  
_END_

AN: Thank you my dear followers and for your wonderful reviews; For making this journey such an enjoyable one! Everything had been such a blast from start to end. I wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavors. If I find time, I will try to craft fanfictions, but they will not be as long as this. Cheers!

AN2: walrus999 I have not read your spanish reviews in a rather long time, it would be nice if you could vet my last 3 chapters thanks!


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